The FBI has issued a warning about a surge in tech support scams targeting elderly individuals throughout the United States. In this new wave of scams, scammers are instructing their victims to send cash concealed within magazines or similar items through shipping companies.
This tactic deviates from their traditional methods of soliciting money via bank transfers, cryptocurrencies, or gift cards. The scammers typically reach out to their targets through phone calls, texts, emails, and pop-up windows, posing as legitimate company representatives.
Once in contact, the scammers deceive their victims by claiming fraudulent activities linked to their accounts or promising subscription refunds. They provide designated contact numbers for assistance and request access to the victims’ computers.
After gaining control over the computers, they deposit larger sums of money into the victims’ bank accounts and persuade them to send back the extra cash to avoid losing their supposed jobs. The surplus money is to be sent via shipping companies concealed within magazines or similar items to meet the scammers’ demands.
To protect themselves, the FBI advises elderly individuals not to download software at the request of unknown individuals, never allow unknown individuals to control their computers, and to avoid clicking on unsolicited pop-ups or links in emails and text messages.
They should never send cash via mail or shipping companies. Victims who have fallen prey to these scams are encouraged to report the incidents to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), providing essential details such as the name of the person or company who contacted them, the communication method used, and the recipient’s name and address where the money was shipped.
