08000119684

I bought my laptop on Sunday, and lo and behold, just last night I got this alarming notification about the Zeus virus, instructing me to call a certain number. I had to twiddle my thumbs until this morning to ring up the support line tied to my laptop brand. They suggested a complete reset of the computer. I’m feeling rather miffed, to say the least. We can’t seem to tackle most forms of cancer, and yet we have to deal with these daft nuisances invading our tech. Yet somehow, we’ve managed to send men to the moon! Quite the marvel, technology, isn't it?

Complete rip-off, just a trash call.

Beware of this con artist! They’ll claim that your computer has been compromised, and once you grant them access, they’ll take over. If you're in need of assistance, feel free to give me a bell at 0785 805 2278 (repairs4pc.co.uk). Stay vigilant!

Exercise caution when searching phone numbers online, particularly if you notice that it begins with +44, which generally signifies a UK code. However, in this case, it appears to be misleading! Though I haven't received a call, my computer has been bombarded with pesky pop-ups claiming there's a severe virus issue, urging me to contact 0800 011 9684. The 'toll-free' label is yet another clue; real UK numbers starting with +44 don’t necessarily have to be toll-free, strongly suggesting this is an international call. Often, these pesky notifications even freeze my screen, but a quick hit of ctrl/alt/delete does the trick and gets me back online. I've never dialled this number; just did a bit of online sleuthing and came across comments from others who have. It seems to be a racket run by some unscrupulous individuals preying on unsuspecting computer users. And for the record, before anyone jumps to any conclusions about my comments, I will have you know I'm of Asian descent! - caller: Unknown

While I was in the midst of settling my tax obligations online, I was startled by a phone call purporting to be a "security alert." The caller insisted I couldn't proceed until I noted down this number. This coincided with the moment I was about to input my card details. To me, it reeked of a blatant scam. It's rather uncommon for me to encounter such nefarious tactics on my Mac desktops. Naturally, I refrained from calling back, but I really think this should be brought to the attention of the proper authorities. - caller: 08000119684

I dialled the number provided on my Mac. The chap on the line was completely incoherent, so I decided to put him on hold since I had my doubts. To my surprise, he hung up shortly after. I then restarted Safari and everything was back to normal!

What a complete con! These blokes are absolute rotters, nothing but troublemakers for the country.

Cheers for the heads-up! I did a bit of digging on the number since the website it linked to didn’t appear to be legit for Apple support, which raised a few alarms. After that, I closed down Safari and rebooted my machine, and thankfully, everything's running smoothly now.

It's quite astonishing how some folks still get duped by these scams! Just had a call from 0800 011 9684, and it's baffling what some individuals will believe.

big thanks to the previous post for the tips. i did exactly that on my mac since it didn't really feel like a genuine call from apple - and that was without even dialing the number!

I really appreciate the insights shared in the previous thread. I've just attempted something similar on my Mac, as the message seemed quite dubious for an Apple communication-mind you, I didn't even bother dialling the number!

I had this happen on my Mac, and all I did was hold down shift and reopen Safari to get it sorted. When I looked up how to fix it on a Windows computer, someone said just reboot your PC using Ctrl+Alt+Delete and the message vanishes. Don’t give those scammers any money, it’s a total con!

My son got a new laptop for Christmas, which came with the usual 30-day free trial of McAfee antivirus. We got a call from a number that supposedly belonged to Microsoft, but it was linked to something called Easy Tech? Now the laptop’s completely locked and unusable. The person on the phone demanded £60 to unlock it, which of course we refused to pay. If anyone can help us out, it’d be really appreciated - my son’s proper annoyed he can’t use his new laptop.

We've encountered a similar issue with the new laptop we got for my son this Christmas, which came with the usual 30-day McAfee trial for antivirus protection. It appears that we received a call from what was claimed to be a Microsoft representative connected to Easy Tech. Now, unfortunately, his laptop is locked and can’t be accessed. The caller demanded £60 to resolve the situation, but naturally, we refused to pay. If anyone can offer some help, it would be greatly appreciated, as our little one is quite frustrated and upset about not being able to use his new gadget. Thanks a million!

We had it sorted on our Mac by just holding down Shift while restarting Safari, which did the trick. Now, for those on a Windows machine, I came across a tip - hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete to restart your PC, and that pesky message should vanish. Don’t give those scoundrels a penny!