This single ‘very convincing’ pop-up tricks man into losing $46,800
By
Seia Ibanez
- Replies 16
In the digital age, where convenience and connectivity reign supreme, the darker side of the internet can sometimes rear its ugly head in the form of scams and frauds.
A recent incident involving an 83-year-old man is a stark reminder of the perils that lurk online,.
Two individuals scammed the victim out of a staggering $31,000 (approximately $AUD 46,800) by employing a deceptively simple yet effective tactic: a pop-up notification on his computer.
This pop-up claimed his device had been compromised and urged him to call a number for assistance.
The message was 'very convincing', according to the victim, who remained anonymous.
‘Something flashing on my computer screen that said “your computer is completely locked”, and a [phone] number flashed on the screen,’ he said.
When he called the number, the person who answered claimed to be from Microsoft.
They told the 83-year-old man that something was wrong with his phone and bank account and asked him to take out $US16,000 ($AUD 24,000) in cash to fix the problem.
The old man did what they asked, and the next day, a man came to collect the money.
The day after that, they tricked him again, using the same lie, this time for $US15,000 ($AUD 22,600).
‘They said one was for buying guns and one for gambling,’ said the victim.
‘Both are for federal crimes, so before you know, [the] FBI is going to come and arrest you.’
While the victim didn't buy guns or gamble, he found the caller very convincing. To confirm what was said to him, he called his bank.
‘When I called my bank to check on that, apparently they hacked my phone and rerouted to their own personnel. They said those amounts were missing, and I had to replace it,’ the man said.
One of the scammers was seen on video at the victim’s house allegedly making a pick-up.
Police reported that the victim received another call, but by the third attempt, he had realised it was a scam. He refused to cooperate and contacted the police.
They arrived at his home and made the arrests.
The scammers, Rong Chen and ZhenSheng Yu, were arrested and arraigned on grand larceny charges.
They both pleaded not guilty.
This incident is not an isolated one.
In a previous story, a 32-year-old UBank customer fell victim to a convincing phone scam as he watched his $20,000 savings vanish after a single phone call.
The customer’s experience is a reminder of the reality that a new breed of sophisticated scams can catch people off guard. You can read more about the story here.
Have you or someone you know encountered similar situations? How did you deal with it? Let us know in the comments below!
A recent incident involving an 83-year-old man is a stark reminder of the perils that lurk online,.
Two individuals scammed the victim out of a staggering $31,000 (approximately $AUD 46,800) by employing a deceptively simple yet effective tactic: a pop-up notification on his computer.
This pop-up claimed his device had been compromised and urged him to call a number for assistance.
The message was 'very convincing', according to the victim, who remained anonymous.
‘Something flashing on my computer screen that said “your computer is completely locked”, and a [phone] number flashed on the screen,’ he said.
When he called the number, the person who answered claimed to be from Microsoft.
They told the 83-year-old man that something was wrong with his phone and bank account and asked him to take out $US16,000 ($AUD 24,000) in cash to fix the problem.
The old man did what they asked, and the next day, a man came to collect the money.
The day after that, they tricked him again, using the same lie, this time for $US15,000 ($AUD 22,600).
‘They said one was for buying guns and one for gambling,’ said the victim.
‘Both are for federal crimes, so before you know, [the] FBI is going to come and arrest you.’
While the victim didn't buy guns or gamble, he found the caller very convincing. To confirm what was said to him, he called his bank.
‘When I called my bank to check on that, apparently they hacked my phone and rerouted to their own personnel. They said those amounts were missing, and I had to replace it,’ the man said.
One of the scammers was seen on video at the victim’s house allegedly making a pick-up.
Police reported that the victim received another call, but by the third attempt, he had realised it was a scam. He refused to cooperate and contacted the police.
They arrived at his home and made the arrests.
The scammers, Rong Chen and ZhenSheng Yu, were arrested and arraigned on grand larceny charges.
They both pleaded not guilty.
This incident is not an isolated one.
In a previous story, a 32-year-old UBank customer fell victim to a convincing phone scam as he watched his $20,000 savings vanish after a single phone call.
The customer’s experience is a reminder of the reality that a new breed of sophisticated scams can catch people off guard. You can read more about the story here.
Tip
If you think you've been scammed, report it to the ACCC's Scamwatch here. You can also visit our Scam Watch forum for more information on the latest scams.
Key Takeaways
- Two people have been arrested and charged with scamming an 83-year-old man in a tech support scam that cost him $AUD 46,800.
- The scammers contacted the victim with a fake popup notification claiming his computer was locked and later convinced him to withdraw cash by pretending to be from Microsoft.
- The victim was tricked into paying two significant sums of money, which the scammers claimed were needed to prevent alleged federal crimes he had not committed.
- Authorities urge the public to be vigilant as this incident is part of a series of scams, with other similar cases reported recently.