From booking airline tickets to doing research, from academics to music, you name it, and the Internet is the go-to source for everything. The beauty of the Internet is that you get access to a vast pool of resources which the pre-Internet generation might never have even dreamed of. However, the downside of an all-powerful and omnipresent Internet is that it is now playing into the hands of unscrupulous elements who device malicious scams to dupe you, a prime example being the iYogi scam.
If you are yet to come across the iYogi scam, don’t get misled by the mention of iyogi in the scam. For, it is the scammers exploiting the name of the company to fulfill their perverse needs without the consent and knowledge of the company. Also, iYogi is just one of the many establishments exploited by these scammers; you must by now be familiar with the charity scam where the perpetrators impersonate themselves as some reputed charity organizations and solicit money and other help. One reason why scams like the iYogi scam flourishes is that users sometimes don’t bother to do the background check of the organization mentioned in the e-mail, especially when it bears all the designs of a well-established company. The iYogi scam has been thriving on the ignorance of users and if you are well informed you can avoid it. Let me share my mother-in-law’s horrible encounter with these scammers.
My mother-in-law is a retired school teacher, and is very active on the Internet. For her, the Internet means the world and something that keeps her going. An active member of many online forums like forums for the elderly people, for animal rights, human rights violation and a couple others, she also has a close group of friends that she communicates on the Internet. So, if the Internet is down even for a day, it is enough to make her go crazy. It so happened that this guy, calling himself a technician, and representing himself as a representative of iyogi, one day called my mother-in-law and started claiming that her system is infected and that if it is not fixed immediately, it will be permanently damaged. It was sufficient to make her panic. Seizing the opportunity, the guy said that he can fix the problem but that he needs to have remote access to the system. And for that he needs her to go to a certain site and download and install specific software on the system. By this time, the guy was having a firm hold over her senses and convinced her to do as he wanted. Actually, she had no prior experience of such a situation and since the guy was also claiming to be a representative of iyogi, she thought that there were few reasons to suspect his bona fides. But, after the remote connection was established, and the technicians worked on her system, she had a lot of heart burn and tragedy. Many files on her system were missing and the computer became almost inoperable. Even some of her profiles were compromised. For, as we found out later, the guy was not associated with iYogi and remote tech support was the last thing on his mind. It was a case of iyogi scam, which is increasingly targeting unsuspecting and elderly people.
When we approached iYogi, they categorically denied having anything to do with the iyogi scam saying that they follow strict moral and ethical policies. We too found no evidence to prove otherwise. They though showed genuine concern that malicious elements are using the company’s name to harass and rip off people. Making it clear that they don’t make cold calls, it has urged people not to entertain remote tech support from people identifying themselves as iyogi technicians until and unless their credentials are verified.
In fact, to raise awareness among Internet users about the perils of Internet scams and to provide users tips on how to avoid these scams, iyogi has been publishing iYogi scam alerts and iYogi fraud alerts for quite some time now. You can get to know a great deal about the latest and most malicious scams out there like online software scam, iyogi scam, online video scam, online dating scams, and inheritance scams through these alerts. It can be a good way to understanding the modus operandi of the scammers that will help users like you and I stand in good stead.
If you have any questions or doubts about the services offered by iyogi or about the iYogi scam, sharing them on the iYogi complaints form (the company has its own complaints form) would be a good idea. This way you can seek a direct clarification from the company regarding any activity that you feel suspicious about and that involves the company’s name.
Dos and don’ts when an imposter lends at your door representing himself as an iYogi technician:
Remember, the premise ‘Prevention is better than cure’ equally applies to iYogi scam!
If you are yet to come across the iYogi scam, don’t get misled by the mention of iyogi in the scam. For, it is the scammers exploiting the name of the company to fulfill their perverse needs without the consent and knowledge of the company. Also, iYogi is just one of the many establishments exploited by these scammers; you must by now be familiar with the charity scam where the perpetrators impersonate themselves as some reputed charity organizations and solicit money and other help. One reason why scams like the iYogi scam flourishes is that users sometimes don’t bother to do the background check of the organization mentioned in the e-mail, especially when it bears all the designs of a well-established company. The iYogi scam has been thriving on the ignorance of users and if you are well informed you can avoid it. Let me share my mother-in-law’s horrible encounter with these scammers.
My mother-in-law is a retired school teacher, and is very active on the Internet. For her, the Internet means the world and something that keeps her going. An active member of many online forums like forums for the elderly people, for animal rights, human rights violation and a couple others, she also has a close group of friends that she communicates on the Internet. So, if the Internet is down even for a day, it is enough to make her go crazy. It so happened that this guy, calling himself a technician, and representing himself as a representative of iyogi, one day called my mother-in-law and started claiming that her system is infected and that if it is not fixed immediately, it will be permanently damaged. It was sufficient to make her panic. Seizing the opportunity, the guy said that he can fix the problem but that he needs to have remote access to the system. And for that he needs her to go to a certain site and download and install specific software on the system. By this time, the guy was having a firm hold over her senses and convinced her to do as he wanted. Actually, she had no prior experience of such a situation and since the guy was also claiming to be a representative of iyogi, she thought that there were few reasons to suspect his bona fides. But, after the remote connection was established, and the technicians worked on her system, she had a lot of heart burn and tragedy. Many files on her system were missing and the computer became almost inoperable. Even some of her profiles were compromised. For, as we found out later, the guy was not associated with iYogi and remote tech support was the last thing on his mind. It was a case of iyogi scam, which is increasingly targeting unsuspecting and elderly people.
When we approached iYogi, they categorically denied having anything to do with the iyogi scam saying that they follow strict moral and ethical policies. We too found no evidence to prove otherwise. They though showed genuine concern that malicious elements are using the company’s name to harass and rip off people. Making it clear that they don’t make cold calls, it has urged people not to entertain remote tech support from people identifying themselves as iyogi technicians until and unless their credentials are verified.
In fact, to raise awareness among Internet users about the perils of Internet scams and to provide users tips on how to avoid these scams, iyogi has been publishing iYogi scam alerts and iYogi fraud alerts for quite some time now. You can get to know a great deal about the latest and most malicious scams out there like online software scam, iyogi scam, online video scam, online dating scams, and inheritance scams through these alerts. It can be a good way to understanding the modus operandi of the scammers that will help users like you and I stand in good stead.
If you have any questions or doubts about the services offered by iyogi or about the iYogi scam, sharing them on the iYogi complaints form (the company has its own complaints form) would be a good idea. This way you can seek a direct clarification from the company regarding any activity that you feel suspicious about and that involves the company’s name.
Dos and don’ts when an imposter lends at your door representing himself as an iYogi technician:
- Before going too far into the discussion, figure out who you are dealing with. Don’t hesitate to ask as many questions you want to be sure.
- Don’t let him control the conversation. It is the most conducive scenario for him to manipulate you. If he is too smart for you, take help of a responsible and intelligent friend.
- Where did he find your number and how did he know that there is problem with your system? Let him explain.
- Study his offer, whether he is offering too much for too little. If yes, it is sure sign of danger. Immediately shut shop!
- If he is asking you to download programs from unheard of sites, or sites that are not dependable. Stop. First check his bona fides.
Remember, the premise ‘Prevention is better than cure’ equally applies to iYogi scam!
15 comments:
I empathize with your mother-in-law. Scams like and similar to the iyogi scam are becoming increasingly common these days, and the more aware we are about these scams, the better it is for us. I think that we shouldn’t be impatient and get carried away by what somebody is saying, especially over the phone. Why I say so it gives you have little scope to scrutinize the person you are dealing with. Also no good company makes unsolicited calls telling you about the problems with your computer. I would be alarmed if anybody does, and you should too.
I have heard about the iyogi scam but had no idea what it was all about, not until I read this piece. Going by the name I was kind of assuming that since the scam has iyogi prefixed to it, it has got to be iyogi who is carrying out the scam. And I couldn’t have been more wrong. It is good that I came across this article and my misconceptions are cleared. There should be more such alerts that help people face these scams in a more practical manner rather than waiting for the inevitable to happen.
If we take a glance at the type of scams on the Internet- Nigerian scam, 419 scam, PayPal scam, wholesale scam, car scam, etc. – it is fair to say the world of Internet scam is a rich and colorful one. The troubling part is that though there are security solutions available in the market, these scams keep changing colors from time to time, meaning that the solution you have installed on your system gets outdated even before you realize! And in some cases even security solutions won’t work like in the case of iyogi scam. In this grim scenario, what we can do to not end up becoming a victim is to keep ourselves updated about the latest scams and adopt safe browsing habits and hope for the best.
I don’t know why some people are sending me investment related e-mails in dozens every day for the last one week or so. I am not an investor and have no intention to become one, but these people are more convinced than I that I can be a successful investor. So much for the intuition of these people! But I am not the type to be taken in so easily and know a thing or two about these scams, in this case investment scam. A free-for-all cyberspace, bereft of any proper regulation, is a happy hunting ground for hucksters and criminals. If you start taking each and every mail in your inbox sent by these malicious elements seriously it will only help them fulfill their perverse objectives. The iyogi scam is different cattle of fish altogether. I am amazed at the audacity of these scammers; calling people and telling them that there is a problem with their system takes something. These people are a disease to society.
Cyber criminals are cold blooded hunters looking to make some easy money. Scams are also designed in some cases to smear the reputation of a competitor or to settle past grudges. The methods used are illegal and the perpetrators deserve to be brought to book. Just imagine the kind of energy and effort we need to put in to be safe when online- taking courses about what antivirus will work under what condition, when to update the antivirus definition, what scams are doing the rounds and what are their symptoms- the list is long and tedious. There is no other alternative for you, as the story here shows, other than going through the grill and putting all the security measures in place. In cases like the iyogi scam, it is also important that we don’t allow to be brainwashed by a stranger, even if he claims to be from a reputed company.
There is no better way to get protection against Internet scams than by being well-read and aware about these scams. I make it a point to keep myself updated about all the latest scams doing the rounds and try to understand the strategy they adopt to dupe people. So, it enables me to identify which is a scam and which is not in case I come across any suspicious mails or links. It is my curiosity to know about these scams that brought me here, and I learned about the iYogi scam. Actually, scams like the iyogi scam are not isolated incidents as the practice to use names of well-established organizations by impersonators is in vogue for quite some time now on the Internet.
These impersonators are great actors. I will bet that many of them will actually outshine some of our beloved Hollywood stars with their impersonating capabilities! What intrigues me is that despite having so many discussion forums and other outlets about these scams, such illegitimate activities are still happening in large numbers. The iyogi scam is just another example of how inefficient we have been in dealing with them. The Internet, for all its good qualities, is thus turning out to be a sore point for many. I can give you numerous examples where people have lost their hard-earned money to these imposters. Damn these people.
I would be annoyed if someone calls me like that; it is almost absurd. Don’t fall for these silly tricks these con men play. As the writer rightly points, why are these so called tech support people doing public service by calling people at home and are so anxious to repair their system for peanuts? I don’t know of any charity organization that makes such unsolicited calls. To me it smacks of scam from step 1.
A timely article on the unhealthy trend where fraudsters use fake identities to take control over the victim’s system. Motivated by mala fide intentions, they frequently use pressure tactics to manipulate the customer. Don’t think the iyogi scam would have cornered the kind of attention it is drawing now if we had been more proactive when dealing with such scams. What are our watchdogs doing? We cannot allow these criminals to carry on like this on and on. Time we have in place some strict policies.
While surfing the Internet, one thing I never do is click on unsolicited links. Also, I have a habit of deleting each and every mail in the inbox that even remotely gives me the impression of something fishy. These days you cannot be too sure! You may think that I am a paranoid character, but when there are Internet scams of every variety there is no better way that I find to deal with the situation. From lottery scam to dating fraud to phishing, have to say the people behind these scams are having a great time at our expense. The iyogi scam is just an extension of these scams. Anyone who feels is a target of iyogi scam will do well by being inquisitive and getting in touch with iyogi and verifying the facts before allowing the caller to establish a remote connection.
The proliferation of scams like the iyogi scam is doing a disservice to the customer community. What these scams do is it creates unnecessary phobia amongst the customers about a particular company. The prefixing of a company’s name with a scam is also unjust unless the company is actually involved in the scam. It may undermine the good services of a company by labeling a bad name to it. I object the use of the term ‘iyogi scam’ because it tends to imply that iyogi is on the wrong side, as it is not actually the case.
I understand that these scammers are good at presenting themselves as genuine technicians but still there is a limit as to how much we allow complete strangers to access our system, not unless their credentials are properly scanned. Also, one must understand that getting anxious and taking hasty decisions doesn’t solve any problem, only complicates them. The iyogi scam alerts also speak along similar lines; take your time and make an informed decision. You will be well off this way.
The perpetrators of these scams cannot be reined in so easily, since they might be operating from anywhere and could be anyone, but there still is a lot that iyogi can do to derail them. The iyogi complaints form is one of the options. However, I would like to see iyogi taking a more proactive role to counter the advances of the scammers.
If there is a loophole then definitely online criminals will take full advantage of it. Also, they are using more and more sophisticated technologies and methods to confuse and con people. For them, we appear to be sitting ducks. To face such a situation, it is important that people not only read the iyogi scam alerts, but spread the word and share information. Getting sound advice is also crucial to keeping such scams at bay.
Amazing how simple it can be to communicate with people and have them understand a certain topic, you made my day.
Post a Comment