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Using the Moodle Learning Management System, Forerunner's Training programs are now available online.
Don't have time to attend our 1-on-1 or small group training sessions? Want flexibility to learn when you want, wherever you want, for as little or as long as you feel like? Don't want to purchase text books? Then Forerunner's Online Training is for you!
Pay a flat fee for one course, allowing you one month to access and complete the course. Upon completion, Fcrerunner will send you a certificate of completion. And if there are additional courses you would like to do, these are offered at a discount rate.
We are currently offering Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010 courses, with more courses coming soon, including photo editing.
Contact us now for more information and start your training today.
Windows scareware fakes impending drive disaster
Scammers are trying to trick Windows users into paying to fix bogus hard drive errors that have apparently erased important files, a researcher said today.
The con is a variant of "scareware," also called "rogueware," software that pretends to be legitimate but actually is just a sales pitch based on spooking users into panicking. Most scareware masquerades as antivirus software.
But Symantec researcher Eoin Ward has found a new kind of scareware that impersonates a hard drive cleanup suite that repairs disk errors and speeds up data access.
Dubbed "Trojan.Fakefrag" by Symantec, the fake utility ends up on a Windows PC after its user surfs to a poisoned site -- often because the scammers have manipulated search engines to get links near the top of a results list -- and falls for a download pitch, typically because it's presented as something quite different, like video of a hot news topic.
Fake system or disk cleanup programs aren't new -- Symantec has highlighted the scareware subcategory before -- but this malware goes above and beyond the call of counterfeit duty.
"[Trojan.Fakefrag's] aim is to increases the likelihood of you purchasing a copy of Windows Recovery by craftily convincing you that your hard drive is failing," said Ward in a company blog Monday, referring to the name of the fake suite that the Trojan shills.
The malware kicks off the scam by moving all the files in some folders to a temporary location, by hiding others and by making desktop icons disappear. All of that is followed by a message that looks like a valid Windows warning of impending hard drive doom.
"An error occurred while reading system files," the on-screen message reads. "Run a system diagnostic utility to check your hard disk drive for errors."
If the user clicks "OK," the fraudulent "Windows Recovery" application launches, runs a series of sham scans that sound technical and legit, then reports multiple problems, including disk read-write errors.
Article Update: If you receive a phone call from someone you DO NOT know claiming they have detected errors or viruses on your computer, do not follow their instructions, hang up! There are a number of scams at the moment, some are even claiming to be from Microsoft and others are doing follow up calls if you tell them to call back later. If you are concerned that you have been caught, contact us.
Phone Call Scam
There are numerous scams out there, but one that we have received a couple calls about involves someone calling and claiming they work for Microsoft.
The caller will claim that they work for Microsoft and that they have detected problems from your computer via their ISP. The caller may ask you to open a program on your computer which will display errors, which may lead you to believe they are legitimate.
You may then be asked to visit a specific website to download a remote control program. This program will allow the caller access to your computer and they will pretend to install 'fixes' to the problems that doesn't exist.
Once this program is on your computer, the caller will have access to everything on your computer. You may be asked for your credit card details to pay for the program.
Unfortunately, there are many scams that are believable and many people get caught. But in this instance, Microsoft will never ring you, so if you receive a phone call, it is safe to say hang up, it is a scam!
If you have any concerns about possible computer-related scams, please call us on 8269 5260. We are happy to help you.