January 18th 2025.
Recently, there has been a new scam that has been causing concern among people. Scammers are now pretending to be representatives from banks and even government officials in order to trick people into downloading unsafe apps. This scam is specifically targeting Apple, Android, and Windows devices, and has been dubbed the "phantom hacker" scam. According to intelligence officials, this scam is rapidly growing and has already caused a victim to lose $20,000 (or around £16,400).
The scam usually starts off with the victim receiving a call, text, email, or a pop-up on their computer from someone claiming to be a "tech supporter imposter" and asking for their assistance. This is the first step of the scam, which is a three-part operation. The fake representative will then convince the victim that their financial account has been hacked and urge them to transfer their money quickly to protect their assets. In reality, there was never a hacker and the scammer now has full control over the victim's money.
The next step of the scam involves the scammer posing as a bank or broker and pressuring the victim to transfer their money to a "safe" third-party account. The victim is also instructed to keep this a secret and may be asked to send multiple transactions over a period of time. Finally, the victim will be contacted by a fake government employee, such as someone from the Federal Reserve, and asked to send even more money to a "safe" account. In the end, the victim may lose all of their banking, savings, retirement, and investment accounts.
In order to protect yourself from this scam, it is important to be cautious and follow some simple tips. Do not click on unsolicited pop-ups, links sent via text message or email, or download software at the request of an unknown individual. Also, do not allow someone you do not know to have control over your computer. Additionally, be aware that the US government will never ask you to send money via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards. If you suspect that you have fallen victim to this scam, report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and include as much information as possible.
Legitimate banks will never ask you to move your money elsewhere, so if you receive a request like this, be cautious and contact your bank directly to verify the legitimacy of the request. Unfortunately, many people have already fallen victim to this scam, including Milan Jackson, a hairstylist from Chicago, who lost tens of thousands of dollars after being tricked by a scammer posing as a representative from Bank of America. She was devastated and hopes to get her money back so she can use it to open her own salon.
In response to this scam, some tech giants, such as Google, have rolled out new safety features to help protect their users. For example, Google's latest Android OS update now allows users to use an AI bot to listen in on calls and flag potential scams. It is important to stay vigilant and protect yourself from these types of scams. If you suspect that you have been targeted, report it and seek help. Let's work together to stop these scammers and protect our finances.
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