Oh man, this is all one solid block of "I remember that!" nostalgia. For example, in the late 90s I volunteered in a DALNet support channel, helping people diagnose and remove exactly those infections. [0]

We had a hard policy of never going "I'll connect to it and remove it for you." Sure, it could be quicker, but it would also be legally problematic, especially if the person seeking help was actually an impersonator.

[0] I admit, I harmlessly pranked one very close friend with a CD-ROM tray that kept moving "on its own". And pointed out some weak passwords to school IT...