“Technology Help” Cybercriminals Scam Seniors into Paying Thousands

Computers began during our seasoned citizens lifetime. They did not grow up with them, and this places them at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to their level of understanding. Senior citizens are trusting, and that trust is often used by unscrupulous imposters and criminals to trick them out of their life savings. Federal investigators were able to stop a massive tech support scam that targeted our senior population. In their world, if you had a problem and someone offered assistance, you trusted that they had your best interests in mind. Seniors received a message indicating they had a virus on their computer, and they were provided a phone number to call to help rid them of the infection. However, when they called the number, the scammer would take control of their computer and pretend to fix the non-existent problem charging them thousands of dollars. In all, this one group attacked 7500 seniors.