BEWARE! Scammers are on the prowl looking for vulnerable senior citizens’ to give up their money and identity.
Scammers buy “scams-in-a-box” from other scammers who have successfully “run” the e-mail scam. The “scam-in-a-box” contains everything that is required to “run” the scam: real e-mail addresses that were stolen from hacked e-mail services, e-mail subject lines and message contents, 800 phone numbers, and scripts to use when talking to their “marks”.
These scams are received in your e-mail inbox or junk folder. You may receive several a day that look the same. Some examples of recent scams include;
- Alerts that your protection or support service from Norton, McAfee, or Geek Squad has expired and your credit card has been charged $299 / $399 / $ more. Chances are you do not even have that protection service! The e-mail gives you a toll-free number to dispute the charge. The scammer wants your bank account or credit card information, plus access to the files on your computer.
- Notice that a large purchase was made on your Amazon account and shipped to someone you do not know. Again a toll free number to call if you did not make the purchase. The scammer wants access to your computer and your credit card or bank when they offer to refund the purchase.
- Security issue with your e-mail service, or your bank, was detected. Asks you to click on a link and log into your account. The scammer wants your logon credentials.
- Your I–Cloud is full! With a link to log onto your Apple account to add more iCloud storage space. The scammer wants your Apple credentials.
DO NOT CALL. DO NOT CLICK. DELETE THE E-MAIL. Don’t believe these phishing e-mail scams! Trust me … The e-mail is a scam. If you call the number, the scammer talks their way into your computer, and tries to scare you to buy their expensive support services. Once in your computer, they also put malware on your computer to snoop and steal your identity and files. If you click on a link, and sign into any accounts, then you have given the scammer the ability to log into those accounts.
Beware of these e-mail scammers. If the email scares you or offers a refund, recognize the e-mail as a scam. Mark it as phishing, then delete it.
I am committed to protecting your computers at an affordable price. Thank you for trusting me to keep your computers healthy. Contact us at 239-567-0104 to renew your protection software, to join our “Learn Computer” training programs / workshops, or to schedule computer and printer help. Be well.
By Linda Lindquist, January 15, 2024
