A Tale of Caution: Mrs. B's Encounter

Mrs. B, an 82-year-old widow, lived a quiet life in her cozy cottage, finding joy in her morning tea and tending to her blooming garden. She wasn't particularly tech-savvy, but she had learned enough to check her emails and video chat with her grandchildren.

One chilly afternoon, as Mrs. B was reading a book, her phone rang. The caller introduced himself as "John," a representative from Microsoft. He explained, in a reassuring tone, that her computer had been compromised by a severe virus and needed immediate attention. Mrs. B, unfamiliar with such threats, felt a surge of panic.

John's voice was kind and patient. He walked her through the steps to install remote access software, promising it would allow him to fix the problem. Trusting the seemingly helpful technician, Mrs. B followed his instructions. Little did she know, she had just given a scammer complete control over her computer.

Within minutes, John claimed to have discovered numerous critical issues that required urgent repair. The price for this service was steep, but Mrs. B, fearful of losing her cherished family photos and important documents, agreed to pay. She provided her credit card details without hesitation.

It wasn't until her son visited later that week and noticed unusual activity on her bank statements that the grim reality set in. Mrs. B had fallen victim to a tech support scam. Mrs B immediately contacted her bank and reported the fraud, but some damage had already been done. The bank also put a block on all her banking activity until she had had her computer professionally cleaned. Mrs B called Techhaven and the same day her computer was collected, cleaned and returned. The bank was provided a letter of actions taken.

Mrs. B’s story serves as a poignant reminder: even the most vigilant among us can be deceived, but awareness and education can help prevent such scams from causing further harm.