Tech Assist Scams Steal Money or Treasured Metals

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an alert warning that scammers are tricking victims into changing their financial savings into money or treasured metals, then sending couriers to choose up the objects for safekeeping.

The scammers then steal the products and reduce contact with the victims. The FBI says victims misplaced greater than $55 million to those scams between Might and December 2023.

“Scammers pose as tech assist or US authorities officers,” the Bureau says. “Scammers typically use a multi-layered strategy, posing, in succession, as a know-how firm, a monetary establishment, and a US authorities official. Scammers inform victims their monetary accounts had been hacked or are vulnerable to being hacked, and, in consequence, their funds have to be protected. Scammers instruct victims to liquidate their property into money and/or buy gold, silver, or different treasured metals. Typically, scammers instruct victims to wire funds to a metallic seller who will ship the valuable metals to victims’ houses….As soon as victims acquire the money and/or treasured metals, the scammers ship couriers to retrieve the objects at victims’ houses or public places.”

The FBI presents the next recommendation to assist customers keep away from falling for these kind of scams:

• “The US Authorities and legit companies won’t ever request you buy gold or different treasured metals.”
• “Defend your private data. By no means disclose your own home tackle or agree to fulfill with unknown people to ship money or treasured metals.”
• “Don’t click on on unsolicited pop-ups in your laptop, hyperlinks despatched by way of textual content messages, or electronic mail hyperlinks and attachments.”
• “Don’t contact unknown phone numbers offered in pop-ups, texts, or emails.”
• “Don’t obtain software program on the request of unknown people who contact you.”
• “Don’t enable unknown people entry to your laptop.”

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BleepingComputer has the story.