HELP!! Hijacked PC!!

[Leslied]

My husband and I have been invaded by R.A.T.s....will we ever be safe on the net again? I was able to do a fresh start on my Windows 10, but hubby got it worse than me and his 8.1 is gone! He is still trying to do a reset and can't. Is there a way we can find out how they got in? He suspects they got our personal files and are selling them on the black market!!?? Is this possible? We both have laptops with webcams. The most disturbing part of this is that we were watching Netflix one evening and a picture of the two of us came across the screen! Nobody seems to want to help...not even Microsoft. Any advice?

 

[COLGeek]

I would start with changing the router admin password and wireless network password. You may want to completely wipe and reinstall Windows and your applications on both laptops.

 

[schwatzz]

If it's not too much of a hassle, you should do a clean install of your PC. Make sure you change all of your passwords to your emails and banking. Make sure that you always have up to date anti-virus installed. Reset your modem and router. They most likely got in from an email attachment or if you downloaded something off internet, then that is how to most likely got in. Make sure to put tape over your webcam.

 

[EvilHamster]

As they said, reset your router passwords, do a fresh install etc. All of this is very advisable, and I will not repeat what they wrote. What I will add is this:
Have you tried posting a similar question to an antivirus forum? Such as Avast, Avira, Macaffee, Bitdefender etc.? Some may only go indepth ii you are a subscriber, but in your case, I would recommend becoming a subscriber and installing the best antivir you can. Make sure you only use a reputable antivir. Others will know better which to use.
Also avoid computer-help websites that offer telephone service and cost money. They are huge!!!! scammers. See the youtube videos of it you want. There are hundreds of them, if not thousands.

You should also consider contacting your ISP, perhaps they can offer some assistance, by maybe putting up a strong filter for a limited time on your connection. This would restrict your internet use, but might be useful for the short term.

Additionally, make sure you ring up your bank in case you do online banking or use your credit/debit cards online, such as on ebay and amazon etc. They could put your accounts on higher alert and give you sms notification whenever an online payment etc. was done.

The tape on the webcam is also a useful suggestion until you sort things out.

Cheers.