CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As Monday begins, tens of thousands of people could lose Internet access.
For weeks, experts and the government have been warning people to check for the computer virus and make the needed repairs.
“Basically, your computer will work, but you won’t be able to access any of the internet, no email,” said Tom Bartholomy with the Better Business Bureau.
The DNS Changer is lurking inside as many as 100,000 computers around the world. Some experts estimate as many as 50,000 computers could be infected in the U.S.
“It could be a mess for a lot of people here in the Charlotte area,” Bartholomy said.
The FBI arrested the hackers last year and fixed the problem, but the government has been running a temporary server to keep people online. That server will be shut down at midnight.
“The judge finally said, ‘Look, July 9, that’s it. We’re done. And whoever’s still infected, they’re going to pay the price,’” Bartholomy said.
The Better Business Bureau has also warned about the malware and has received more than a dozen calls in the last week from people whose computers are infected with the virus.
“Yeah, we’ve had people that have called up with a red screen, saying ‘Oh my gosh, what do I do?’” Bartholomy said.
Maryanne Busby said she’s already cautious about using the Internet.
“I mean, I don’t use it for anything but for information for fear of the things that can grab me,” she said.
Computer repair experts said even iPads and Android tablets can be infected with the malware.
For people who cannot access the Internet on Monday, experts said they need to call their service provider to figure out how to remove the malware from their computers.
For more information on the virus, click here. To check your computer, click here.
WSOC
