My grandmother mentioned to me last night that her IP address was stolen and that her house was listed on Zillow without her knowledge. She said she had to pay around $2,700 to some guy in California after talking to someone from HP about getting a new IP address. This all sounds suspicious to me. I'm only 22, and while I'm careful online, I'm not very tech-savvy. I could use some advice on how serious this situation is, how such a thing could happen to someone who mainly uses Facebook and email, and what steps I should take to assist my grandma. Is this Microsoft product legitimate? I think it was called Microsoft SQL Server, but I'm confused about what that has to do with IP addresses. I want to ensure she's safe and not falling for any more scams.
4 Answers
Your grandma is definitely getting scammed. The people contacting her are just trying to exploit her trust. Make sure she understands never to send money to anyone who calls her like that. They can't actually take her IP address, and there's nothing to be worried about in that regard. Her ISP can explain this better too.
That would totally help clarify things!
IP addresses for personal users are usually dynamic, which means they change regularly. Even if someone 'had' her IP, it wouldn't serve them in the way they claimed. SQL Server is a legitimate product for managing databases, so that was just a scare tactic. It's best to erase anything potentially harmful by resetting her computer.
Should I help her reinstall Windows, or is there an easier fix?
I'm considering a complete reset if needed!
This is definitely a scam. Keep her away from any offers claiming to fix her IP or sell her software. The idea of 'stealing' an IP address is nonsense. They just wanted her money. Make sure she cancels any payments and reaches out to her bank about potential fraud.
Thanks for confirming that! I'll definitely keep an eye on her accounts.
For extra safety, get her to reset her computer to flush out anything they might have installed.
Don’t be alarmed. No one can actually steal her IP address. This sounds like it was just a ploy to frighten her into paying for unnecessary services. Make sure she knows to disregard these calls in the future and block any numbers that contact her again.
Great advice! Blocking them sounds like a crucial step.
Yes, and I will explain how to avoid such scams in the future!
I'm going to talk to her ISP about this; thanks for the tip!