Help with phishing website notification and how to thoroughly clean a mac

[sombrA77]

Hello All
I have a mac osx laptop. A screen that has appeared warning phishing site ahead with an attached safari helpline number.
Unfortunately firewall was turned off, and I did call the number. They went into my laptop, while on the phone, and went to through my files to "detect any sites with the infection".
The good thing is I have nothing of importance on my system, though I now need to go through a cleaning process and resetting of admin. codes and all passwords.
Any advice as to how to do this?
Thanks alot

 

[pigoo3]

...and I did call the number. They went into my laptop, while on the phone, and went to through my files to "detect any sites with the infection".

I sure hope you didn't pay these folks you called anything. Because it's most likely a scam.

You never had a problem in the first place. So there's no need to "throughly clean your Mac".

- Nick

 

[pm-r]

Maybe you could include a bit more info, like some names of any software and who these people were and other details.

 

[harryb2448]

Ohh dear why on earth call ransomware scammers? They may well have taken control of your computer. Pay them any money?

As we do not know what operating system you are using, hard to tell but you need to erase the hard drive, format and do a brand new clean install of the operating system.

 

[pm-r]

Gee harryb2448, you're going to scare the OP into having a heart attack, and no real reason to do a complete and drastic Mac Nuke & Pave at this point I'd say. That's a bit drastic compared to possibly just removing some files, depending on what they might be.

And maybe the OP can provide that and maybe just running AdwareMedic might be enough and a read at his site:
AdwareMedic
The Safe Mac

 

[sombrA77]

help with phishing website/ cleaning a mac

Hi. thanks.
Nope definitely paid them no money. No software attached or downloads, only phishing website alert with phone number "helpline" and an inability to open other windows.
Why I need a clean, in case they got all my codes.
What I just now did is called apple support at 626 463 6223.
Got a call back from same woman at 916 399 7992 number.
We didn't reset codes, just did some things with rebooting while holding the shift key (which got rid of the freeze), reset some things in preferences, and threw out the cache folder. Then emptied the trash.
She suggested downloading adwaremedic, but I was hesitant to download anything until I knew more about it.
Thanks for your advice!

 

[pm-r]

I would, along with many others I suspect, highly recommend and download and use AdwareMedic and do so ASAP!!

And also shutdown, wait a minute and reboot your Mac. Don't just restart. That will help purge some other surplus crap!!

And I'd add, no need not to trust the advice of an Apple Support tech. Isn't that what they suggested???

 

[harryb2448]

If you do a Google of the 916 number lot of odd things happen with it. If you have ever used your credit card or bank account to make purchases or payments, I would seriously consider a clean install despite what some may say. Whoever it was has been through all the folders when they 'took charge' of your computer, and probably Keychain Folder.

 

[pm-r]

Both those phone numbers belong to Apple and seem quite legit if they were being doubted:

The 916 399 7992 number is one of their Service Call numbers
The 626 463 6223 number is Apple's Pasadena, CA Apple Store number.

I would think a Mac user could trust either one.

 

[johnodd4]

no one is a fake number that phone dial fakers are using you call apple the real number and you get apple and they don't know anything.

 

[harryb2448]

LOL I could ring and say I was from the 626 number also and who would know, however maybe scammers in the US do not tell lies like the ones from all around Oceania? Leave you to make your own decisions sombrA77. He/she did recognise it as phishing.

 

[pm-r]

I dare say, especially if money is concerned, that it's pretty easy to setup Caller ID spoofing that will even show up on any caller ID display and it doesn't even seem to be illegal in most countries. As if the culprit could even be traced and caught.