Scam Report

There has been an increase in computer-based scams over the last few years. This is not surprising given that more consumers are using the Internet to communicate and shop for products due to the pandemic. Two types of Internet- or computer-based scams that have been popular lately are the tech support and romance scams.

Tech Support Scams

One type of computer-related scam involves the request to fix technical issues on your computer. Imposters target older adults through telephone calls alerting them of phony computer issues that supposedly need to be resolved immediately or the scammer will make contact through pop-up alerts while users are browsing the Internet.

Microsoft estimates that 3.3 million Americans are victims of technical support scams annually, with a losses totaling around $1.5 billion.

Although these fraud losses impact all ages, seniors are often the most vulnerable to these types of scam.

The Federal Trade Commision (FTC) has a few useful tips to help consumers avoid falling victim to computer-based scams:

• Do not give control of your computer to a third party that calls you out of the blue.

• Do not rely on caller ID to authenticate a caller. Scammers spoof caller ID numbers. They may appear to be calling from a legitimate company or local number when they are not even in the same country as you.

• If you want to contact tech support, look for a company’s contact information on its software package or on your receipt.

• Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone who calls and claims to be from tech support.

• If a caller pressures you to purchase a computer security product or says there is a subscription fee associated with a call, hang up. If you’re concerned about your computer, call your security software company directly and ask for help.

• Make sure you have updated all of your computer’s anti-virus software, firewalls and pop-up blockers.

Romance Scams

As more and more people turn to the Internet for dating websites, the number of related romance fraud claims have risen as well. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), received 14,546 calls in 2016 about romance and confidence scams. In 2014, IC3 reported that nearly 50 percent of the victims were 50 and older The volume of complaints and the amount of money lost in this scam have both steadily increased in recent years.

The FBI’s IC3 has the following tips to help older adults to avoid romance scams:

• Be cautious of individuals who claim the romance was destiny or fate, or that you were meant to be together.

• Be cautious if an individual tells you he or she is in love with you and cannot live without you but needs you to send money to fund a visit.

• Fraudsters typically claim to be originally from the United States (or your local region), but are currently overseas, or going overseas, for business or family matters.