BALTIMORE — The FBI is warning online shoppers about an increase in computer support scams. Cyber criminals are posing as technical or repair service representatives, then gain access to personal bank accounts.
Despite the usual tricks like rebooting and control-alt-delete, the alert on Trish Thomas’s husband’s computer wouldn’t go away.
"It says do not close your computer. Across the bottom, it said called Microsoft support and it had a toll-free number. So, I thought okay, I guess I better call," said Thomas.
The message, supposedly from Microsoft, suddenly appeared on a Google Chrome Book.
"He acted like he could see that our bank accounts were being used. He told me that there’s a $5,000 charge for something, and another $1,000 subscription for pornographic stuff, I went that’s not ours," said Thomas.
The man claiming to be a Microsoft representative had Thomas transfer her savings into her checking account, but when he asked for a photo of her driver’s license, something in her told her to stop.
"I said no, I don’t feel comfortable doing that I can go to my bank branch tomorrow and show them my ID and they can take care of the rest of this. And with that, click, he hangs up," Thomas recalled.
Serene Coons received a similar message.
“And he told me that my computer was being hacked, my ID number,” said Coons.
She sent him $1,400 to have the issue resolved.
“The way he was talking to me, he really sounded like a professional,” Coons said.
Cybersecurity expert Bill Sieglein sees this scam after users click on a malicious ad or email link.
“They infect your machine with something then tell you, hey, your machine’s been infected, if you just call us. What they do is they fix it so your home screen is their screen, it’s a real simple thing that happens and it’s hard to get out of a loop for most people who aren’t technical,” said Sieglein. “It’s frustrating because you close the browser and you re-open the browser and you’re right back at it and it seems like you can never get out of it.”
The FBI issued an alert in November after receiving reports about these scams. They’re warning all computer users to ignore unsolicited emails about services you did not purchase. If you believe you’ve been charged for a service you didn’t request, call your bank or credit card provider. Never download software you’re unfamiliar with and resist the pressure to act quickly.
“They’re going to pressure you to call them. Hang up, call somebody at the Geek Squad or one of the other local tech companies and they’ll walk you through the process of cleaning that up,” Sieglein said.
In another version of this scam, victims receive an email that their support subscription service renewed for $300-$500, but to call or email for a refund.
Once they do, scammers persuade victims to download remote desktop software giving them full access to their computers.
Victims are then told to open their bank accounts to confirm the refund amount when really they’ve just given the scammers their log-in credentials and the ability to make transfers.