The FBI is warning that hackers are using courier services to collect money and other valuables from victims. This trend is most evident in tech support scams and impersonation scams involving government agencies.
“The FBI is warning the public about scammers who instruct victims, many of whom are senior citizens, to liquidate their assets for cash and/or purchase gold, silver or other precious metals to protect their money,” the FBI said. “The criminals arrange for victims in person with couriers to pick up the cash or precious metals.”
See also: YouTube: Deletes 1,000 video scams with artificial intelligence ads
In many cases, scammers impersonate technical support staff or U.S. government officials . Inother cases, they appear as employees of technology companies and financial institutions.
The scammers claim that victims’ bank accounts have been compromised or are under imminent threat and convince them to liquidate their assets to protect themselves. Victims are forced to convert their assets into cash or precious metals or are asked to send the money to metal dealers, who will ship the metals directly to the victims’ homes.
The scammers then send couriers to meet the victims at their homes or in public places to collect the money or precious metals.
See also: Consumers feel they are more at risk of falling victim to fraud
The scammers also promise to keep the victim ’s assets in a secure account, which is not the case, as they steal the funds and disappear. This elaborate scheme has already led to significant financial losses.
“From May to December 2023, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) saw a surge in this activity with total losses of more than $55 million,” the FBI said.
Fraud protection
The FBI advises citizens not to send money and other valuables to third parties, even if they claim to be associated with a legitimate or government agency or courier service.
also not share their home addresses or arrange meetings with strangers to send cash following requests made over the phone or text messages.
Other protective measures include:
- Avoid clicking on unwanted pop-ups on computer , as well as links and attachments sent via messages and emails.
- Avoid contacting unknown phone numbers.
- Avoid downloading software recommended by third parties via emails.
- Prohibiting access to the computer and accounts.
Common scams
One of the most common forms of online fraud is phishing, where attackers attempt to obtain personal information, such as passwords and credit card details, through malicious emails or websites.
See also: Facebook: Scam posts with the message "I can't believe he's gone"
🔒 Protect your privacy with Proton VPN
Swiss VPN from the creators of Proton Mail — strict no-logs policy, strong encryption, and built-in NetShield that blocks ads, trackers, & malware.
- ✔ No-logs, based in Switzerland (except 14-Eyes)
- ✔ NetShield: blocks ads, trackers & malicious domains
- ✔ Covers all devices — free version available
The link is an affiliate link — SecNews may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. It does not affect the independence of our article writing.
There are also malware promotion scams , where users are tricked into downloading and installing malware , believing it to be a useful program or application.
Payment scams are also common, where fraudsters ask victims to pay for products or services that do not exist or are not actually provided.
Finally, romance scams are another common form of online fraud, where criminals create fake profiles on dating websites and try to extort money from their victims by pretending to be in need of financial assistance.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
