This single ‘very convincing’ pop-up tricks man into losing $46,800
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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.
A pop-up notification from a man’s computer tricked him into losing $46,800. Credit: Shutterstock
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.
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….all the while believing he was getting rid of the virus when the flashing lights and big red crosses disappeared ….Thank goodness my son came for a visit…in 2 seconds the plug was yanked out and I was asked what are you doing, and told it was a scam to get all the information kept on the computer……I did lose some stuff including photos but it missed some personal information and banking details although I contacted the bank immediately to stop any transactions until I received new cards etc….but it could have been so much worse……..it really shook me to the core, it messed me up for days…..however I learned a big lesson that day years ago and I’m over the top about watching what I do now…
