PC Doctor October 14, 2016

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Dear PC Doctor:

I turned on my computer and got a message that read “ Your computer has been blocked.  Error #3657 ead 1 of 519 A5”.  There was a phone number given that I should call and it also said “Your computer alerted us  . . . it has been infected with spyware and virus.”  It said that facebook, credit cards, email, and photos have all been compromised.  The message also said “If you close this page before calling, . . . computer access will be disabled to prevent further damage to our network.”  I’m worried.  How bad is it?  But I’m also suspicious:  I don’t have a facebook account or email.

Thank you,

   Ted

 

Dear Ted:

I did some reading about error messages similar to the one you received.  You were smart to be suspicious!  Do not call the number on your screen. 

You can use your Task Manager to close the window in which the message popped up.  To start Task Manager, hold down the ctrl, alt, and delete keys at the same time.  The screen will go black, and then blue, and you will be presented with a series of choices.  Choose “Start Task Manager.”  You will get a new window showing what “tasks” your computer is running.  One of them will be the browser (explorer, chrome, etc.) that is running the error message.  Choose that program by highlighting it and then choose “End Task” from the buttons at the bottom of the window.  At this point, you will want to reboot your computer.  When it turns back on, you will want to scan your computer with some kind of malware removal tool.  Your local computer repair shop could direct you to several options.

Good luck!
Until next time,
Happy Computing!

   PC Doctor