Comantra: They’re Baaaaaack

Oh, my word … !

Comantra — or one of its successors that’s kept the name — is still going … !

Just to fill you in, briefly, a few years ago, a friend of mine — Kelly, the singer — got in touch with me to tell me about a rather worrying phone-call she’d had: boiling it down to its simplest re-telling, the caller tried to con Kelly into handing over remote control of her machine, SEEMINGLY intent of infecting it with some form of malicious software.

And then charging Kelly a small fortune to — seemingly — remove it.

Kelly, after asking me, and a few other way more computer literate friends of hers, managed to turn them down, without handing over control of her machine, OR her bank account details.

But, afterwards, let me write up a post about it.

It wasn’t long after that, that the Brentwood Gazette had an article about what sounded like the same people — Comantra — who’d been in touch with a local businessman — Jason Lovell, who, ironically, runs a computer security company — getting a call from them.

Nice to scoop the Gazette … !

But at any rate, that wasn’t THAT long after I’d written about Kelly.

»»·««

What did tickle me, though … ?

Was the fact that they’ve written ANOTHER article, this week: about widow, Kimie Markarian.

Who’d had a call from what sounds a LOT like Comantra.

Seems they’d tried the same thing on her … !

You can imagine my response, can’t you … ?

I fired off an email … !

Here …

Dear Sir,

I’ve GOT to admit, I read your article about the widow targeted by fraudsters, this week, with no real surprise.

After all, this is something that I, as a blogger, have covered: as has the Gazette, itself.

Quite some time ago, as I recall.

So hearing that the same sort of scam is still around?

Isn’t surprising.

What DOES surprise me, however … ?

Is the simple fact that the company that supply operating systems and hardware — and both Apple and Canonical, makers of Ubuntu, are as bad as Microsoft, Dell and HP in this regard — still don’t hand out basic security tips to people who purchase their products.

I’ve been using a Mac for years, which isn’t as prone to virus and malware as a Windows based PC is.

But I’m also aware of basic good practice, for the few that’s out there.

Little things: don’t download stuff from sites I don’t trust. Don’t open an email attachment that you’ve not asked for.

Now, I’ve been online for a while: so this is stuff I’ve learnt over the course of that.

But for someone like Mrs Makarian … ?

Well …

I’m positive someone unfamiliar with using a computer would’ve appreciated having some basic security tips: either in the box, in the local paper, or from the sales staff they bought the computer from.

Let’s hope that gets published … !

But, at ANY rate … ?

At any rate, I’m thinking I have a point …

Microsoft, Apple, and others … ?

Should REALLY be doing a bit more to help those of us who aren’t computer literate be a touch safer.

If nothing else, though … ?

Well …

I’ll leave you with THIS link, courtesy of former Councillor, Karen Chilvers.

And warn you now: the cheeky sod’s have got a Facebook page … !

Sunshine: Just as a thought …

Hmmm …

Now THERE’s a thing …

Do you remember me telling you — quite some time ago — about my mate, Kelly … ?

Bless her, I’ve known Kelly a while, and known — for about as long — that Kelly’s been known to have the odd warble.

Which is possibly not doing her singing justice … !

I’ve got to admit, after seeing Kelly singing at a local open mike night, at local pub, I rather cheekily — I thought — told her she had a voice that was like getting “… rogered by a tub of chocolate moussé”.

Kelly, as it turned out, was flattered.

Actually, this isn’t the time to say that Vix — who did my pub quiz posters, back in the day, — had the kind of singing voice I’d happily marry and have kids with. Kelly’s on the other hand, is one I wanna have an affair with, after I saw it dancing on a table in a nightclub somewhere … … !

Yeah …

Possibly not the time … … … …

»»•««

But, at any rate, something I asked Kelly as a result of seeing some of her stuff on Sounds Awesome … ?

Was whether she’d mind me posting up a song she’d written, called Sunshine.

Gotta admit, I was expecting a polite, “Thanks, but no thanks”.

But as it turned out, Kelly said yes.

And, like any musician keen to have their material heard, didn’t mind at all: and also keen to see how any video I could put together for her would work.

Here … …

Let us know what you think …

You also watch it, here, on Kelly’s Sound’s Awesome page … !

Look Out … Fraudster’s About

You know, I’ve got to admit, I’ve known some bright women, in my time, I really have …

And bright women, I’ve noticed, tend to be able to smell rats, from a mile off …

Remember Kelly? And the Comantra scam she managed to avoid, a while back … ?

Well, I’ve had another old friend — Maggie — who’s also a former boss get in touch about a chap she’s been introduced to on Facebook, called James Paul.

By another person called Carol Iannella.

From what Maggie told me, the Chief’s* always on the lookout for good causes to promote, as she’s always keen to be helpful: and, seemingly, Carol had been helped out by Mr Paul to the tune of some $30, 000 worth of wedge.

James Paul managed to befriend Maggie, and get chatting her about the work he does.

And asked for her email address …

Maggie was … cautious.

Ex-pub-landlady that she is, part of her automatically does ‘DING’ whenever large sums of cash get a mention.

And goes into overdrive when someone does something like what James Paul does next.

Asked for her email address …

And the associated password …

She immediately did two things.

Messaged me for a second opinion.

And confessed she was smelling a three-week-old, extremely dead rat.

As, while James Paul was pestering her for her login details, she’d down a search on FB for Carol Iannella …

And found Ms Iannella has at least three accounts with differing details, but exactly the same profile picture.

Old campaigner that I am … ?

And never being able to resist the Chief, when she needed a hand … ?

IMMEDIATELY started writing this post, with one aim in mind.

To suggest that, if you’re contacted by either of these two … ?

You block them.

AND report them to Facebook.

I’m thinking that James Paul and Carol Iannella are up to no good.

* Chief is the nickname Maggie ended up with, when she was in charge of the White Horse, back in the day, before it got turned into The Sugar Hut.