A Berks County woman lost nearly $115,000 in a computer scam that began when she received an alert that her personal information was compromised and being used in criminal activity.
It turned out the alert was a ruse to engage the 48-year-old Rockland Township resident and convince her to pay the perpetrator, who was purporting to get her out of hot water, state police at Reading said in a news release.
The victim initially sent payment to the scam perpetrators on April 1 while she was out of state. She continued to make payments over five weeks after returning to Pennsylvania.
By the time she realized she had been scammed, she had paid a total of $114,830.
Although the news release didn’t specify the tactics of this scam, the Federal Trade Commission says computer scams commonly begin with a pop-up warning that suspicious activity has been detected on a computer. The messages often states that urgent action is required and includes a phone number for the victim to call to speak to a technician.
Technical support scammers want you to believe you have a serious problem with your computer, like a virus, according to an article on the FTC Consumer Advice page.
“They want you to pay for tech support services you don’t need, to fix a problem that doesn’t exist,” the article states. “They often ask you to pay by wiring money, putting money on a gift card, prepaid card or cash reload card, or using a money transfer app because they know those types of payments can be hard to reverse.”
To avoid falling prey to a tech scam, it’s important to understand:
• Legitimate tech companies won’t contact you by phone, email or text message to tell you there’s a problem with your computer.
• Security pop-up warnings from real tech companies will never ask you to call a phone number.
If you need help fixing a problem with your computer, the commission advises going to someone you know and trust. Many software companies offer support online or by phone. Stores that sell computer equipment also offer technical support in person.
State police said the investigation continues.
