Elder Scam Cleanup

In the spirit of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we want to highlight a recent project where we helped a client protect her mom after she fell victim to an elder scam. Concerned about her mom’s computer, she asked us to clean it up, remove old payment information, and set up additional safeguards to prevent future issues. If the computer wasn’t worth saving, she was ready to replace it—but wanted our input first.

Here’s what we found during the cleanup:

• The search engine was being redirected to suspicious sites, so we removed everything but Google to simplify browsing.
• We discovered nine unwanted programs, including adware and remote desktop tools that scammers could use to connect to the PC. We cleaned these out and updated settings to block similar issues from returning.
• After a system cleanup, virus scan, and manual review, we confirmed the computer was back in good shape.

This cleanup took about 45 minutes (everyone always asks about how long the cleanups take). It’s a great reminder that even when things seem overwhelming, a little proactive effort can go a long way toward keeping everything secure.

If you're worried about online threats or scams, we’re here to help. Reach out, and we’ll make sure your system is safe and sound—no matter the situation!