FRANKFORT, Ohio — On Monday, a local man called the police after he was manipulated into giving away his money by a pop-up claiming that his laptop had malware.
The Frankfort man was browsing on his computer one evening when a window came up stating that it had a virus. He then proceeded to call the number that claimed to want to help him resolve his issue, only to be scammed out of his money. When the caller had his attention, they extorted $2,000 worth of Apple gift cards out of the man, and after they received the funds, the scammer stated that his laptop was magically repaired and hung up.
When the victim realized what happened, he proceeded to call the Sheriff’s Office in hopes that they could take action. However, to his dismay, there was very little that local law enforcement could do other than take his statement. The deputy who arrived on the scene explained that there are call centers in other parts of the world that are out of their jurisdiction.
For reference, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has advice for consumers on how to identify and handle these situations, which can be found here. What the FTC wants to stress is that it is abnormal for companies or law enforcement to make calls that are aggressive or coercive, and in the case of government agencies, they will not call requesting sensitive information.
More than likely, users will not randomly win competitions or lotteries over the internet, and in those cases, businesses will give participants time to consider instead of pressure those into taking action. Additionally, if any individuals receive pop-ups, messages, or calls asking to wire money to them over money transfer apps or through gift cards, it is most likely a scam.
Always remain cautious as you traverse the internet.
