Flynrider
Phoenix,#2Consumer Comment
Fri, May 06, 2011
"I'm sure if I was more computer savvy, I could have gotten around this; but at the time I panicked and just wanted rid of the whole mess."
Yes, you could have gotten around it. Basically, this is a scam that is being run out of the city of Baku in Azerbaijan. By clicking on the messages and the virus scanner you actually installed the virus into your computer. If you had shut down the computer without clicking on any of the pop ups, it would have gone away.
" And my computer started running like nothing had ever happened to it."
It may look like it's OK, but it still has the scammer's virus in it. I would not trust that computer with any personal or financial information. When you paid, all that the scammers did was turn off the outward signs of the virus. As you are not computer savvy, I'd highly recommend that you get some professional help in getting that thing out of your computer.
As far as the money goes, you should contact your credit card company and file a dispute on the $99 charge. This scam has been ongoing out of Baku for over 3 years and those who have disputed the charges have reported that they got their money back. The CC companies are well aware of this scam.
Good luck.