Better Business Bureau Issues Warning Over New Computer Scam
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Better Business Bureau has a warning about a computer scam that's going around. It's actually an old scam with a new twist.
Security experts say the scammers call persistently, claiming there's something wrong with your computer.
For Sandra Seip, who lives in Regent Square, they called every half hour, all night long.
"Until I turned my computer on," says Seip, "she would continue calling back all night. Made me livid!"
Seip also said the woman who called insisted that someone was trying to hack into her computer.
When Seip finally gave up and turned on her computer, the scammers took control of it. The woman on the other end of the line claimed to be from a Windows server company, and directed Seip to a website, saying she wanted to run a scan of the computer.
Seip said no, and hung up.
That's when the computer went black. Seip could no longer log on.
She tried calling a reputable computer repair company, but it ended up being the scammers who called her back.
"I know I should never assume," says Seip.
They charged her more than $300 for supposed scans on her computer, eventually putting a graphic on the home screen that looked like an EKG monitor.
It was there for hours, until the screen went dark again.
The Better Business Bureau says they've been getting more and more calls about scams like this lately.
Experts say, any time you give someone remote access to your computer, you're opening yourself up to hackers who may steal your identity or bank account information.
"That woman that called, if she had been anywhere near me, I think I would have slapped her," says Seip.
Her credit card company is refunding the money the scammers stole.
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