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A story about hackers, fishers, etc


wadsolutions

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Hello everyone,



I will tell you a story, that I’m not sure is all about Fiverr.com. I was a fiverr.com user back then, when the website looked like Gigbucks and so on. It was about 3-4 years ago and I was using fiverr.com to buy and sell gigs.



Since I was a child I was on to computer, but never had an antivirus program. I continue like this even after I started working as programmer (dump move I know), but strangely I never had a problem. Until one bright morning, the day after my wedding. My phone started ringing and I picked it up, because it was an important client. He said to me that his website was hacked and had some strange links all over it. I said, that I will check it out, but 5 minutes later another client called with the same problem. This continued all morning and it pretty much ruined my honeymoon.



I installed an antivirus program and find out I have a trojan horse on my computer that stole all my passwords… Since this moment I always have an antivirus program on my computer. But I got curious, how I got the virus. Then I started thinking that most of the gig deliveries, where in archives, which could’ve been with viruses. So always use an antivirus program on your computer! Fiverr.com is a great place, but there are not always great people on it.



I mean what is the best way to steal someones account? Send him a virus, steal his password and then you have it. So be careful and never relay on the Windows security, because it is not good enough.



Let’s pretend I’m a seller… I deliver my work extreamly fast and tell you, that you have lots of bonuses in the archive. You will be very happy and you will open all the files in the archive to check them out and here you go. That’s not all. What about your paypal account. Using internet without a protection is a dangerous thing…



Sorry for my English. I guess, it is not perfect, but I’m not a native speaker. I’m from Bulgaria.



Best Regards!



Sheriff’s Note: Your name next to your icon is a link to your gigs. It is not necessary to place the link in every post.

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I’ve been using home computers for 20 years. I lost almost everything on one machine that got a virus that completely destroyed the hard drive. I had anti-virus software BUT hadn’t updated the virus definitions for awhile (this was in the dark ages before you could set up an account that automatically could be updated). Last year my machine got “hijacked” by a malware that froze the browser on a pretend FBI page claiming my IP had been associated with illegal activities, that the “FBI” would release my computer IF I sent a mere $250 to some address not in the U.S. (That was an interesting one, since I couldn’t back out of the webpage and restarting the computer and opening my browser only brought me back to the fake FBI page immediately, but I figured it out). And just a few weeks ago I took the time to really sit down & clear out numerous spyware and malware programs that has snuck in with a download; they didn’t show up on my daily anti-virus scan because they show up as programs, not viruses.



So, bad stuff happens. And your advice is right on the mark: install a good anti-virus program, set it up to scan frequently and regularly and also to update the definitions at least daily, and take the time to keep yourself informed about what sort of creepy-crawlies are out there! Fortunately I had heard of the “hijacking” program that attempts to extort money from unsuspecting people and so I didn’t panic when my computer seemed locked. Also, always double-check before you click that link! (for any who don’t know how to do that: on PC’s, when you hover your cursor over an active link so it turns into a “hand”, the link’s URL will show up somewhere on your screen, often along the lower border of the window but sometimes in a little box or elsewhere. This URL should match what the written words of the link say or imply and if it is completely different or is very long with many numbers and letters, be suspicious…don’t click!).



Thanks for a timely post! Many people have been reporting phishing attempts on fiverr lately.

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You are welcome and thanks for sharing your experience. Something important: If you suspect that you have a virus or malware or spyware, you should immidiately unplug the network cable or disconnect from wireless. I should turn off the router for more security (in the wireless case). Sometimes you download something from the internet and it doesn’t turn out what you expected. Most of these cases, it is some form of a virus. Disconnecting from the network will help you prevent data stealing. Disconnect then deal with it. Uninstall it and run a full system scan with both antivirus software and malware detection software. The programs I use are Norton Internet Security and Malwarebytes. I pay for NIS about $30 an year for 3 computers (this is the price in Bulgaria). I download Malwarebytes and run the trial version where I need it.



After the problem I described above, it never happened again. I do the same for all my local clients. I support a few offices around here and always protect them like this. Never had a problem. And I advise them to do the same for their PCs at home.

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