Can somebody recommend a laptop repairer in Christchurch.

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JaseNZ

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#293632 3-Feb-2022 21:24

Long story short missus got scammed on the phone while I was at work last week and we are going through the fraud process with the bank.
As part of this process the laptop must be professionally checked for malware/remote login access etc and we must provide a receipt of this before all access is restored for her to her accounts.

So I am looking for a for a place to take it to have this done, any recommendations would be most appreciated.

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding : Ice cream man , Ice cream man

Lias

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#2861468 3-Feb-2022 22:00

I'd suggest PB Tech as they are a large chain that the insurers already deal with.

I'm a geek, a gamer, a dad, a Quic user, and an IT Professional. I have a full rack home lab, size 15 feet, an epic beard and Asperger's. I'm a bit of a Cypherpunk, who believes information wants to be free and the Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. If you use my Quic signup you can also use the code R570394EKGIZ8 for free setup.

kiwipeter

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#2861471 3-Feb-2022 22:23

Where are you based in Chch? Can you PM me please.

1024kb

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#2861478 3-Feb-2022 23:24

Bro, just wipe & reinstall Windows. Simple as that. If you want to be beyond sure of things then replace the hard drive & do a fresh install on the new drive. Storage is historically cheap currently, it's also the easiest way to boost computer performance if you get a bigger/faster drive than your existing drive. A new drive absolutely guarantees no existing malware comes across.

The only other consideration would be to remove the RAM for a few minutes, in case of an ultra-rare RAM-resident virus - highly doubt it though.

Download a Windows iso from Microsoft, burn it to USB, away ya go.

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JaseNZ

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#2861479 3-Feb-2022 23:26

1024kb: Bro, just wipe & reinstall Windows. Simple as that. If you want to be beyond sure of things then replace the hard drive & do a fresh install on the new drive. Storage is historically cheap currently, it's also the easiest way to boost computer performance if you get a bigger/faster drive than your existing drive. A new drive absolutely guarantees no existing malware comes across.

The only other consideration would be to remove the RAM for a few minutes, in case of an ultra-rare RAM-resident virus - highly doubt it though.

Download a Windows iso from Microsoft, burn it to USB, away ya go.

Yup easy to do but the bank requires a receipt from a service so I have no option.

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding : Ice cream man , Ice cream man

K8Toledo

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#2861483 4-Feb-2022 00:18

JaseNZ:

1024kb: Bro, just wipe & reinstall Windows. Simple as that. If you want to be beyond sure of things then replace the hard drive & do a fresh install on the new drive. Storage is historically cheap currently, it's also the easiest way to boost computer performance if you get a bigger/faster drive than your existing drive. A new drive absolutely guarantees no existing malware comes across.

The only other consideration would be to remove the RAM for a few minutes, in case of an ultra-rare RAM-resident virus - highly doubt it though.

Download a Windows iso from Microsoft, burn it to USB, away ya go.

Yup easy to do but the bank requires a receipt from a service so I have no option.

The laptop just needs a check to ensure any remote access software installed at the request of the scammers, or associated malware is removed.

Banks will accept an email from the technician who serviced the laptop that states the machine has been cleaned, at least in my experience (I've done this several times now for clients).

1101

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#2861605 4-Feb-2022 10:44

K8Toledo:

The laptop just needs a check to ensure any remote access software installed at the request of the scammers, or associated malware is removed.

That may be all the bank requires, but isnt allways a good option .

IF, they had given the scammer any sort of remote access , the HD needs to be wiped .

Any PC repair company can do this sort of work . I allways recommend a wipe & reload IF they want to be sure , as theres no way to tell
what a hacker/scammer could have done while they had access : IF they were given remote access .
Also, change all your important passwords , and dont reuse passwords .

Thats if the scammer was given access to the laptop . The bank may just want the laptop checked regardless .

1101

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#2861621 4-Feb-2022 10:57

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=computer+repair+christchurch

google will show user reviews of businesses
That may be of help ?

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K8Toledo

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#2861630 4-Feb-2022 11:11

1101:

K8Toledo:

The laptop just needs a check to ensure any remote access software installed at the request of the scammers, or associated malware is removed.

That may be all the bank requires, but isnt allways a good option .

IF, they had given the scammer any sort of remote access , the HD needs to be wiped .

Any PC repair company can do this sort of work . I allways recommend a wipe & reload IF they want to be sure , as theres no way to tell
what a hacker/scammer could have done while they had access : IF they were given remote access .
Also, change all your important passwords , and dont reuse passwords .

Thats if the scammer was given access to the laptop . The bank may just want the laptop checked regardless .

And what is the basis for these claims?

In the cases I've dealt with, the banks - TSB & Westpac have specifically requested an email be sent to the fraud department confirming the laptop is clean.

There is no need whatsoever to wipe a machine on the grounds remote access software was installed. That's the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to drive a nail in.

1024kb

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#2861707 4-Feb-2022 12:49

In the cases I've dealt with, the banks - TSB & Westpac have specifically requested an email be sent to the fraud department confirming the laptop is clean.

There is no need whatsoever to wipe a machine on the grounds remote access software was installed. That's the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to drive a nail in.

Gee, just go to Control Panel & uninstall any programs you're not sure about, then pop off a wee email?

What could possibly go wrong?

It may be a sledgehammer, but it's a really important nail. Because you can't actually see the physical borders, unless you wipe & clean reinstall you are relying on what you think is a clean computer. You may be right, it might be clean. In which case hooray, you were lucky. Of course if you were wrong, if you happened to miss one self-spawning file, then the sledgehammer approach will have been a superior one.

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lxsw20

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#2861709 4-Feb-2022 12:50

It's not about the remote access software being installed, it's more about what they did while they had remote access. I'd go with the sledgehammer approach myself even if a tech says it's clean.

Gordy7

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#2861714 4-Feb-2022 13:09

A friend of mine recently had her ANZ bank account access locked by the bank fraud dept.

A bank email requested virus scan.

On her laptop, Windows 10 Security I did a check using Microsoft Defender Offline scan and took photos of the the scan screen, protection history and allowed threats.... nothing was found. No operational problems were seen with the laptop.

An email describing what was done including photos was sent to the bank and her accounts were unlocked.

Gordy

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BarTender

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#2861878 4-Feb-2022 21:29

JaseNZ:

Long story short missus got scammed on the phone while I was at work last week and we are going through the fraud process with the bank.

Have you checked every other computer / device in your house to see if there was any lateral movement from the scammer? If you have a NAS or some non off the shelf components I would check them.

I know it is what I would do if I was in that situation.

JaseNZ

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#2861894 4-Feb-2022 22:47

Thanks for the help guys, Have sorted out somebody to do it for me.

No remote access to the machine ever happened, no links were followed and nothing was installed when the scam happened.

Info re the bank login details were supplied and that is how it happened. The banks auto systems kicked in and locked the bank account. By grace of a miracle the amount taken was very small and we have been assured it will be refunded once the fraud case has concluded.

The bank (Kiwi Bank) have requested a full invoice on a letter head of the laptop being cleaned.

They have been very professional about the whole things and supportive to my wife who as you can imagine feels like shit for letting this happen, she feels embarrassed and very pissed off.

It was an IRD scam that just happened to coincide with her dealing with her brothers death and dealing with his estate.

It happened and we were so lucky things were locked, Other people are not so lucky.

Not a nice thing to have to go though at all.

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding : Ice cream man , Ice cream man

linw

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#2861917 5-Feb-2022 06:28

Sorry for your wife and hope she get's over it.

Just last night two of our friends said they had several calls on their landline about Amazon account charges and, "This is your bank here. We noticed x thousand dollars has been taken from your bank account" scams.

It's a pity our phone systems can't see a pattern with these overseas calls and shut them off. Bring on some AI.

1101

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#2863421 8-Feb-2022 10:40

And what is the basis for these claims?

In the cases I've dealt with, the banks - TSB & Westpac have specifically requested an email be sent to the fraud department confirming the laptop is clean.

There is no need whatsoever to wipe a machine on the grounds remote access software was installed. That's the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to drive a nail in.

Whats the basis for your claim that it doesnt need to be wiped.
How would you know what the scammer has done to the laptop ? Please do tell .
You will never know what changes the scammer/hacker has possibly made to system .

You just assume some remote access software was installed and nothing else was done to the system .