BBB issues computer warning

The Better Business Bureau and the FBI are sounding the alarm about an issue with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 browser.

According to a Cyber Security Alert issued by the FBI, there's a vulnerability that could allow scammers to take over a computer. If that happens, the scammer might be able to gain access to your private data, or create new accounts with your info.

Recommended Videos



The Better Business Bureau is urging consumers and businesses to take steps to protect themselves. Microsoft today released a workaround which acts as a temporary fix. It is available at: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2847140. The company is also working on a patch to undo the vulnerability, which does not affect other versions of IE.

"BBB recommends that everyone with Internet Explorer 8 apply the temporary fix immediately," said Ben Steinberg, Chief Information Officer of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. "If you are not sure which version you have, try running the fix. If you don't have IE8, the fix will stop running and let you know that your system is not at risk. Microsoft will let you know when the patch is available, and you need to download that as soon as it is."

Beware Of Suspicious Calls

There's also another scam connected to your computer that you should know about and avoid! Someone might call your home posing as a tech support expert. It happened to a woman in southwest Florida.

"Saying they were from Microsoft, what their name was saying that they had been receiving a lot of error messages and warning messages from my computer," said scam victim Vanessa Lee.

She said the scammer walked her through all sorts of troubleshooting techniques, and then he asked for even more. "He said what I need to do is purchase the extended warranty through us and it was only going to be 10 dollars for 2 years or 15 for 3 years."

Lee says she gave him her debit card number and stepped away from the computer. Minutes later, she noticed an open window, showing a wire transfer from her bank account to India.

"We're lucky I came back and looked at the computer to see what it was doing or I wouldn't have known," said Lee.

She immediately contacted the wire transfer company and stopped it before money was stolen from her account

Investigators say calls warning you of a virus in your computer are most likely bogus. "What people need to be made aware of is Microsoft and Norton are not going to call you and tell you have a virus," said investigator Beth Schell.


About the Author: