Are you aware of scammers at tomtommapupdate.us?
Happibun
Posts: 4 [Master Traveler]
I had a problem updating both of my satnavs, and searching on your tomtom site got me to a page on updates with online tech support. It was very dodgy, they wanted to vpn in to my laptop and check my windows security! I hung up at that point but am worried that others might fall for it.
2
Answers
Superuser
Thank you.
@VikramK think it may be this one.
http://tomtommapupdate.us
Doug
Superuser
Here is a copy of a "chat" I had with them Maybe you should try as well
Yes it looks very similar. What I'm trying to find out is how I ended up on a convincingly fake tomtom page for me to end up contacting their 'technical support' in the first place, because I sure as heck started off on the tomtom one and was using the MyDrive software. Somehow I was diverted.
Shame TT have not yet resolved this serious breach as discussed further here https://discussions.tomtom.com/en/discussion/1110982/sold-lifetime-mas#latest
Superuser
If you can find out exactly the process that will be very helpful to Tomtom .
Hope you find out how and can tell @VikramK..
Doug
I think it would be a good thing for TomTom to make its customers clear that there are spoof sites, and TomTom engineers never ask for access to your computer to fix problems. I can imagine people falling for that one, and hate to think what vulnerabilities the scammers could exploit.
In the meantime, I think it helps to list the dodgy site URLs and describe the behaviour exhibited by 'Kevin' and his ilk. Then anyone doing a google check when their suspicions are raised can see the pitfalls.
"Until TT close these down (and even afterwards perhaps), shouldn't there be a prominent warning banner right across all these forums reminding people not to fall for this BS?"
http://www.gpscaresupport.online
They seem to be still monitoring it, so it's a live spoof as of now. I'm sure that they are making a mint from the GPS WNR. Obviously the web address will change regularly, but it looks like the same bunch.
Do TomTom not care that their customers are being scammed (and potentially losing revenue to these cowboys)? Apparently not!
Maybe I'll just need to keep bouncing this topic to keep it near the top for all to read.
Superuser
Tomtom are aware and @VikramK will pick up the latest updates when he is back in the office tomorrow.
I am sure Tomtom care about the problems some of their customers and potential customers are suffering and the effect on their business. Whilst Banner Headings may stop some of the problems it all stems from how people finish up on these sites which needs identifying and then finding a way to stop it which requires the cooperation/help of the likes of Google, Yahoo , Bing , Safari, Facebook etc to resolve and we have seen how difficult that can be.
If someone types 'How do I update my Sat Nav' how do you ensure they finish up at a genuine site.
Doug
This one has also been forwarded to the team taking take of brand protection.
Regards
Vikram
However, until "the team" get off their proverbial 4rses why can't you put a prominent Banner warning YOUR customers about this; or am I talking to the hand?
Absolutely scammers
Superusers
Is your device not under warranty if you just bought it?
Support:
United Kingdom
02079 490 134
Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Superuser
This may help you restore the operating software to the original position. You will have to connect the TT device to you PC with My Drive Connect running on it.
https://discussions.tomtom.com/en/discussion/1034277/how-to-recover-your-device/p1?new=1
Doug
Spent most of the day yesterday dealing with the fallout with one of these scams. My father is a pensioner but still drives a lorry to earn pennies. He relies on his professional TomTom to get himself around the country. Last week, his live traffic updates stopped working, despite him thinking he had lifetime traffic updates (which he does). He then went onto TomTom's webpage and bought a random £40 update package, which didn't work as it sounds like it wasn't for his device. So he bought another!!! This one for £30. When that one also didn't work, he Googled TomTom updates and clicked the first link. That is where his troubles began.
From what I can tell, he then went through their live chat option, where they told him his device was corrupted and that he had 2 options. 1) to purchase a new £400 device or 2) to pay £270 for a "technician" to call him and reconfigure his device. He mentioned that he'd already spent £70 the day before on failed update packages, so they told him "they could see that so just pay the £200 difference for the device reconfiguration". This is what he did.
Luckily for him, he paid this by bank transfer, but that didn't stop the scammer from then asking him for his credit card details. My father was intelligent enough at this point to question why they need that when he'd already made payment, to which they retorted "why, don't you trust us"???!!! They went on to say it was so they could create an account for my father, but luckily he told them he wasn't interested in an account and that was that.
An hour or two later, somebody did indeed call him to gain access to his pc. He duly went through with it. The "technician" made comments during the process as he went through his personal files, including complimenting my father on the car he drove, and offering advice on his choice of antivirus and offering a further costly package to update that for him! He then clicked some buttons and told my father it was fixed and should now work correctly.
Come Monday morning, in our morning chat, my father was telling me of the encounter. I only got halfway through before I told him to block his cards and brace himself for bad news. The following day I went to see him and sure enough, his PC was bricked. I can only imagine that the "technician" (at this point I wish to call him by some very insensitive names) deleted his master boot record, thus eliminating the possibility of him tracing his steps through his history. Or maybe its because they've been calling his mobile for the past two days to offer more "tech support" to his PC. Luckily for my father, the PC was handbuilt by me last year and was due an upgrade anyway, so a quick format of the drives and a quick reinstall and he was on his way. The bank has been notified, a freeze has been put on the bank account (which the bank can see contains just my fathers £200) and the bank seem able to get it back. I have a much wiser father who is now able to use a password manager and is more clued up when it comes to giving details out online. His email address has been changed and I will look to change his mobile number today.
And yes, his device didn't need an upgrade, I believe it just needed a factory reset. Just as a precaution I did this anyway, just incase.
So if anybody can please look into this and put pressure onto the relevent authorities, it'd be appreciated. It's a shame that most people won't even read this until AFTER a similar occurrence.
Stay safe folks... H
Superuser
Very sorry to hear what's happened. Can I suggest that if you can possibley find out the search he made and the web dresses involved that would be useful. If you can detail the website here then Tomtom can see what they can do if it isn't already one that they are working on.
Glad you were able to sort his PC out and hope you can recover some of the monies. If by any chance the updates he bought were from Tomtom then contact them and I'm sure they will sort that out. Do not answer questions but wait for an agent to answer.
United Kingdom
02079 490 134
Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Doug
Unfortunately I have completely reinstalled his PC and TBH I just cannot bring myself to trawl through his data using a data recovery tool like Ease US. I spoke with TomTom this morning and they have confirmed the original £70 transactions were indeed via them, so at least he will get that back as well. I've emailed Action Fraud to let them know of the issue.
The emails are coming from a company claiming to be "Accurate Resolution Services" in Birmingham UK. I can see from Companies House that the company was setup in September last year, so is unlikely to be genuine. Or it may be just unfortunate that the scammers have chosen to use their company name and have downloaded their logo for use on their email headers. Either way, as a precaution, they've had a negative Google review this morning from me in the hope somebody might see it and think twice before dealing with them.
Oh, and since writing the above post, the scammers have called him around 6 times yesterday and emailed 6 times since yesterday morning. Each time offering a "refund", no doubt to discuss how their services can be used to fix his computer...
TomTom themselves were helpful this morning. It turns out his SN didn't have lifetime speed cams or traffic updates after all. So we've agreed to update his camera's and purchase a TMC traffic receiver cable to enable his traffic services.
I guess we all learn from our mistakes, but this one was a very useful lesson for us... it might not cost him anything but a little time.
Thanks again
H
Superuser
Glad you are sorting things out successfully. I have flagged this to @luca and @VikramK so they are sure to get the additionally given info.
Understand your frustration. The last time I was rung "Regarding an accident I had had which was not my fault", I asked them why it had taken since 1962 to ring me.
I am sure we can put up with a "Spammer" like you on this occasion.
All the best.
Doug
What puzzles me is how my Tomtom MyDrive connected me to the scammers rather than with TomTom assistance. The number the Scammer called from was 02039504642.
Superuser
@Luca and @VikramK will be interested in this. Can you please say where the On Line Help link was that you as your wording appears to suggest that it was in My Drive.. There is no such a link in the My Drive Connect software and the only Customer Support Phone lines do not get involved in managing your PC remotely.
Well done for picking up on the scam and I hope you are able to ensure no problems with your equipment.
One suggestion if you are having the problem is to suggest that you delete the My Drive Software completely and those that have used it seem to find the Revo Uninstaller software useful. Type Revo in the Search box above and you should see a number of posts about this. Then reload the latest version from the Tomtom Website .
https://uk.support.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/12428
Doug
https://who-called.co.uk/Number/02039504642
Superuser
Not just Tomtom users being scammed other GPS users as well. I can only assume that after doing a search in Google or whatever browser it has listed the scam site which then looks like Tomtom and the phone link comes from that.
Doug