While computers and security measures have advanced over the last several years, local experts say people should be more wary of scammers.
“Typically when it comes to security, the failure point is usually the person – the user – not the computer because that’s kind of how (the scammers) are going,” said Jonathan Rader, owner and operator of Rader Computers. “You can still get viruses and stuff like that, but it’s a lot easier to trick the user into giving them their stuff.”
A scam that has been common recently is a pop-up advertisement on the computer screen.
Rader said the pop up will say the computer has a virus and a phone number should be called. The call is then directed to someone who attempts to trick the caller into giving remote access of their computer. This access allows the scammer to plant evidence and make the user think something is actually being fixed in order to steal money.
“Really it was never a virus. It was just a scam,” said Rader. “Sometimes they will just get you to pay the money there and that’s it, but sometimes they will try to get to your bank account. They’ll have you log into your online banking and try to get money that way.”
Rader said another scam he often sees is where people will call impersonating someone from a company, such as HP or Microsoft, and try to gain access through remote access. A similar impersonation scam is also common when…
