Looking for love or think you found “the one” online? Make sure your new guy or gal isn’t using any of these love scammer tactics.
FBI warning: Crooks are using this new tech support scam
One of the most important parts of my job is making sure you know what criminals and cybercreeps are up to. Enough people fall for this junk — I don’t want you to be a victim, too.
The FBI is warning about tech support scams that robbed folks of a whopping $542 million in just the first half of 2023. It all starts with a notification that looks like it’s from your bank or even the government warning of a computer hack. You guessed it. They’re fake.
‘Trust me, I’m here to help’
The bad guys are running what’s known as “phantom hacker” scams. The target? Often older adults. The aim? To get them to empty their bank accounts. It’s a wicked twist on a tech support scam that’s been around for a while, where you get a pop-up warning your machine has been hacked.
Scammers are no longer just pretending to be tech support agents. They’re impersonating bank officials or government agents to gain your trust.
It goes like this
You get a call from someone who supposedly works for your bank. They claim a hacker from a foreign country is all over your account. Yikes! Then they say, “Hey, move your money to this ‘safe’ government account.” But — spoiler alert — it’s the scammer’s account.
Just how successful is this scam? The FBI has reported 19,000 complaints related to tech support scams in just the first half of the year — amounting to that $542 million I mentioned before. Almost half of those victims were over 60.
So, what can you do? Here’s your action plan:
- Stay skeptical: If you get an unexpected email, text or pop-up warning about a computer breach, take a deep breath. It’s probably a scam.
- Check the source: Verify the message with the bank or agency directly before acting. Use a known phone number or website, not what’s given in the suspicious message.
- Never wire money: The U.S. government won’t ask you to wire money to foreign accounts or buy gift cards. That’s a scammer move every time.
👉 One final step: Let the FBI know if you’ve been duped. File a report here. If it happened to you, it happened to someone else. The more info the good guys have to go on, the more likely they are to catch the bad guys. I spoke with the head of the FBI and he assured me they read every complaint.
Tech help scam uses a name you know: the Geek Squad
Is your computer running at a snail’s pace? Before you drop a chunk of cash on a new one, clear out some space from the hard drive. Tap or click here to remove the clutter that’s slowing you down.
Sometimes, the problem runs deeper than that. Your computer might not even turn on, or it’s performing erratically. That’s when you may need to reach out for help.
Guard your heart against love scammers
MrBeast broke the YouTube record
His channel has more than 270 million subscribers, making him the most subscribed YouTuber in the world. What’s the key to his meteoric rise? Plus, X allows porn, don’t try this castor oil TikTok trend, and watch out for the latest scammer tricks.
🙏 Talk to your kids, I’m begging you: A 17-year-old boy from Ohio was conned into sending explicit photos to a scammer. Over 19 hours, the boy received more than 200 Instagram messages before he took his own life. Parents, share this story with your kids and tell them if this happens, you’ll help them no matter what, no questions asked.
iPhone and Android annoyances: How to fix the 5 most annoying things for good
When it comes to consumer tech, there’s a massive list of things that can drive us all bananas.
Take your slow Wi-Fi. You can’t stream or join a video meeting, and it always happens at the worst time. Tap or click for clever ways to speed up your home’s connection.
Read this before you try to score a deal on Facebook Marketplace
Some social media platforms have made it easy for you to buy stuff from other members. Facebook Marketplace is one of the most popular. The problem is it’s littered with scammers.
Read on for five scams you must know about before buying anything on Facebook Marketplace.
🐷 He got butchered: A 75-year-old Midwestern man is broke after giving $715,000 to a sly romance scammer. It started with a LinkedIn message but quickly turned into a classic “pig-butchering” scheme. The crook promised huge returns on investments. Hit this link to read the texts between the man and his fraudster. So very sad and so very avoidable.
Treble maker: The scam starts with an email about a family death and a free piano. Wait, a piano? Yep. If you reply, they hook you up with a fake shipping company that needs your name, address and phone number. Then — oh! — you need to pay for shipping. That’s when the scammer disappears. Don’t fall for it.
Never pay upfront on Marketplace: An 18-year-old was just arrested in Fort Lauderdale for posting his neighbors’ cars for rent on FB Marketplace. The scammer collected deposits and then sent renters to the car owners’ real addresses. One neighbor said eight people showed up at her house over three weeks. Another got his car smashed by an angry would-be renter.
Strikeout: A gullible 70-year-old woman was fooled by an online scammer posing as Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. After weeks of messaging with “Trea,” the scammer got the woman to send him $50,000 under the guise of “marriage problems.” The lesson: Don’t just watch out for phishing emails and DMs; you’re also a target when you comment on social media posts.
Gone phishing: An Army veteran turned romance scammer was sentenced to three years in prison — not for stealing hearts, but for stealing money from lonely folks. His total take was $350,000. One recent divorcée gave him $100,000. Jerkface.
Bonus episode: The Kim Komando Show, April 20
One tech CEO thinks AI girlfriends are the next billion-dollar biz. Meanwhile, a tragedy: an 81-year-old man kills an Uber driver he mistook for a scammer. Plus, what your hotel card key reveals about you.
Taylor Swift gotchas
Are you a Swiftie? Here’s why you’re a scammer’s big target online.
Robocallers ruin Christmas
Did you get a call from Amazon, Visa, or another company about a package on the way? Watch out — it could be a scammer.
3 immediate steps to take if you fell for a scam
You went online and opened up an email that you thought was from your bank, or maybe you received a call from the IRS demanding payment before they filed charges. You panicked, sent them money, and then found out you were the victim of scammers. Maybe you’re anxious, embarrassed and at a loss for what to do next.
Security warning: Watch out for Social Security scammers
Since much information is tied to your Social Security number, scammers often look for ways to get their hands on it. A recent change to Social Security benefits has scammers out in full force, and you must know how to protect yourself.
The one word you should never say to a telemarketer or scam caller
You might get dozens of spam calls weekly, but you might not know where the companies got your number. Thousands of data brokers peddle information, and it could be the source of your annoyance. That’s why we started our Opt-Out Tuesday series with instructions on removing data from sites like FreePhoneTracer. Tap or click here for details.
Opt-Out Tuesday: How to remove your info from Social Catfish
It’s a fact that Big Tech companies collect your data to build an online profile and track your shopping and browsing habits. It doesn’t end there, however. Other companies sell your information to anyone interested.
That's not the FBI on the phone, but here's how scammers will scare you
There are plenty of scams in the wild that you need to know about. This time of year, holiday scammers are out in full force. Tap or click here for three of the most prominent holiday scams and ways to avoid them.
Those aren’t the only devious schemes to worry about. There’s a new ruse making the rounds where thieves pretend to be calling from the FBI. The thought of getting a call from an FBI agent is frightening enough, but this one adds scare tactics to rip you off.