Scammers Steal $87,460 From Retiree

JOHNSTON COUNTY – A retired Johnston County man lost a large sum of money after falling victim to an internet computer scam.  It started with a simple popup on his home computer screen.     

Recently, the 71 year-old retired businessman said he was on his home computer when he saw a popup on the screen indicating it was a virus alert from Microsoft. The popup asked the user to call a number for technical assistance.

The victim called the number and was told by the fraudster there was a software virus on his computer and they needed to obtain remote access to be able to perform a cleaning scan.  Instead, they gained remote access to all the files on his computer.

Later, the victim received a phone call from a spoofed phone number appearing to be from United Community Bank, where he banked.  The scammer, pretending to be an employee of the bank, told him his account was at risk from a Russian hacker and he needed to temporarily transfer his money to Bitcoin for safekeeping.  To be protected, they claimed the money placed with Bitcoin would be invested in real estate.

Unfortunately, the victim fell for the scam and lost $87,460.   Authorities are working with the bank to try and recover the stolen money.

The popup windows are a common method for cybercriminals to trick internet uses into calling fake customer support numbers.  Criminals attempt to create rogue popups that look authentic.  Experts say they often contain spelling errors or non-professional images, claim your device cannot be scanned without calling a number they provide, or create a sense of urgency with a countdown timer for you to respond or enter personal information.

In most cases, popup scams do not infect user devices with malware. If you encounter a popup scam, simply close it. If they are hard to close, close  your internet browser or restart your computer.  To reduce your risk, keep your internet browsers updated and use reputable anti-malware software.      

Never allow scammers to connect to your computer.  If you do, turn off your computer and don’t use it until malware or other possible threats have been removed.  Report these type of scams to local law enforcement, your financial institution, and the Federal Trade Commission.