I have an H.P. laptop purchased from Walmart and a while back I noticed I couldn't open any files f

[Bobby2023]

I have an H.P. laptop purchased from Walmart and a while back I noticed I couldn't open any files from my flash drives or desk top if they contained words. It would give me an option to open with other folders which I never used before and was never able to access anything. I then called what I assumed was a H.P help line and on the other end I received an individual working out of India. After a brief discussion he commandeered my computer (probably from my phone number) and swiftly flew the cursor around till he came to a page with the files and the word closed in the last column. He proceeded to change them to open then asked me try my desk top and flash drive. I did and all was fine. Now he wanted close to $400.00 not once but it would be an annual fee. I said there was no way I was sending any money to anyone on line especially to India. My screen then went to a blank screen except for the browser which was flying around the screen for about five minutes. When the laptop was back up I was again left to the same dilemma as before only this time upon opening a file there were no options they opened up in software Jargon. Im now feeling as if I've been kidnapped.

[Dragon-Fur]

@Bobby2023 

Welcome to the HP Community Forum.

I am sorry this happened to you.

True - being scammed is a form of abuse.

Even without the loss of data, intrusions into the private information on the computer, and other attacks on your well being, scams can leave us breathless and feeling betrayed.

From HP:  HP Fraud Alert: Protect Yourself from Scams, Report Suspicious Calls

Document includes links to USA and Canadian authorities to report the incident.

At the least, you'll want to change all your passwords --

Better >  Wipe and reload the Operating System -- then retrieve your personal data from your backups.

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