Random 3 for December 15 – computer fraud, odors, inflatable decorations

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This is a short one!

Sirens! — While I was on the computer, a loud horn went off. It repeated every few seconds. It was incredibly loud and terrifying. The computer said I was hacked and gave me a number to call. It said it was Microsoft but I didn’t believe it. I’ve had similar things happen without the noise and all I did was reboot. This time that didn’t work. I was feeling frantic. I have a service subscription for my newer laptop so I called them. As I suspected it was a fraud. I had to do a hard reboot (holding down the off button for what seemed like a long time) and reset. All was good. It erased cookies which means that I am not instantly recognized. WordPress wanted my first born to log in. It quickly recanted after it found out that my firstborn was a cat. I am somewhat computer savvy. This would be terrifying for someone who isn’t. It felt like someone would come through the computer with guns blazing. The techie shared some stories of people smashing their computers. Yes, it was that alarming.

My mother’s homemade strudel recipe.

Smells – This weekend we got together with family. I had agreed to make some more complicated ethnic dishes that my mom used to make. It’s a two-step process over two days. From my husband’s perspective, the problem was that one included cabbage of which he is not a fan. For two days the delightful (?) odor of cooked cabbage hung in the house. I’ll take that over cat farts any day! Or old people smell.

Sights – Inflatables are back! There is a neighborhood nearby that has young families. There are always inflatables in the yards for almost every occasion including St. Patrick’s Day. They are up for Christmas. It’s a sign of the season.

So how was your week?

 

65 thoughts on “Random 3 for December 15 – computer fraud, odors, inflatable decorations”

  1. Really glad you didn’t give into the frightening noise and call that scam number! Will never understand people who make it their business and devote time and energy to try to scam people! They are the real Grinches!
    On a happy note your streudels look so yummy! 🙂

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  2. I have never heard of the sirens and this scam. I have been reluctant to wear my buds now because it would probably blow my eardrums out. I love that you are making your Mom’s homemade strudel♥ SSNS and I have been talking about trying to make The Mama’s Christmas stollen. We love cabbage with potatoes and kielbasa!
    Inflatables… another “just no” like the spray painted Christmas trees.

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    • I’ve had the scam once several years ago but it wasn’t accompanied by the loud beeping. It just locked up my screen. I turned it off and when it went back on it was gone. This time I had to do what they called a “hard reboot” holding down the off button for like 30 seconds, waiting 2 minutes and then turning on. I also reset which eliminated cookies and history. That worked and now I know how to do that. I’ve only had it happen twice but the techie said that it gets people because it’s scary. If you call the number on the screen, you have to pay a hefty service call and they unlock the screen. I wish crotch rot on those scammers.

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  4. The computer issues you describe are the kind of alarming scam that occasionally upsets my 87-year old mother. She is aware and wise enough not to fall for the scams but she doesn’t know how to back out of them and it’s very stressful. It really is a problem and yes, upsetting.

    More happily, I love cabbage and would love to taste your dish! 😉 I don’t mind the smell.

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    • I think of older people when it happens to me. It’s very easy to get snookered by this. It has big letters that say Microsoft so they don’t believe it’s a scam. I love cabbage too. Sadly my husband doesn’t. Not only doesn’t he like it, he doesn’t like the invasive cooking smell either! Wish I could reboot him!

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  5. I didn’t know the scams made a noise too … yikes! There are more bells and whistles to Windows 10 that I initially thought. I’ve had the red pop-up before with toll-free number to call. They are as bad as, if not worse, than robocallers with their shenanigans. There is a house that I pass on my walks through the hood sometimes that has so many inflatables and they all collapse every morning – some folks leave them up 24/7 but this homeowner has then collapsing … I’d like to see when they all rise or collapse … it would be a sight to see. I’m not a fan of them, but I have a very small house and any inflatable would likely dwarf the house. 🙂

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      • Scary indeed. A girl at work, years ago, when we first got Windows just prior to Y2K time (they worried we would crash and burn as we were on a Unix-based system and our accounting system would crash if everyone was putting in time at month end), a secretary clicked on something she should not have, and what looked like a bug started crawling across the computer screen. It became the talk of the office and we all went to have a look. A flat bug with lots of legs and the computer guru spent all afternoon getting rid of it. I often wonder if they all inflate/deflate at exactly the same time, like the same timer?

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  9. I haven’t had that siren happen since I switched over to a Mac, though I suppose that’s probably a matter of just luck than having anything to do with using a Mac. What I do get, however, are alerts from Norton when it catches something. The sound they use always scares the bejesus out of me. – Marty

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  11. It seems the inflatables have gone out of favor here – replaced by those projection lights that cover the entire house with snowflakes or what looks like angry green bees from OZ. At least the projectors are designed to look like small presents stuck on a stake in the yard during the day and only take one long extension cord. (Odd the porch pirates haven’t seemed to be taking those little “boxes”)
    Any sudden computer scam event is terrifying. Glad yours resolved easily. Whew. You do worry about the even older computer owners that get scared or responds as that computer hack demands. So much to watch out for – and to remain calm over

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  12. I am a huge fan of the Christmas lights….I love tasteful Christmas Decorations, but inside and out. I am not a fan at all of any of the inflatables. But then again I am not a fan of the inflatables in the Macy’s Parade! Does this make me a Scrooge?

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  15. I know someone who paid money to get their computer “unlocked” with that Microsoft scam. Not sun. And Gracie had a fit with an inflatable Santa today. She stood looking at it for a moment and then started barking at it, and watched it behind us all the way down the rest of the block. It was really quite entertaining.

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  16. I’ve had that Microsoft scare happen years ago, but can’t remember what I did to get it to stop, maybe just turned if off. It was certainly loud and scary. My European grandmother used to cook cabbage a lot and the smell would linger for days. Not a fan of inflatables – I find them tacky. New neighbours moved in at the end of the block, and they have tons of them, I lost count after 30. I can understand it if you have kids, but they don’t. I even saw an inflatable Nativity Scene this year, right next to Snoopy.

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    • Definitely. My husband was on an errand when I started frying the cabbage. He came home and said, “Why does the driveway smell like cabbage?” Not only the driveway but our whole house. I eventually burned a candle to get rid of the stale cooking smells.

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    • For Halloween, one nearby house that a yard with inflatables from one end to the other. It was startling! I’ve never seen so many for Halloween. Haven’t seen the rabbi one. I have a friend that I’d love to buy that for.

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