Online scams are on the rise like never before.
Cybercriminals and fraudsters are using new tactics to steal personal information, and it’s happening right here in the Mid-South.
The Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South said they have seen a major uptick in tech scams, with seniors being targeted.
Already this month, the BBB said they’ve had 13 reports of tech scams happening in the Memphis area, with victims losing more than $3,200.
“These are smart people doing this, and they make it look so inviting and easy to do,” Danny Moore of Memphis said.
What looked like a harmless email to Moore turned out to be a scam.
He got a message from someone pretending to be from the security company Norton telling him it was time to renew the antivirus software on his computer.
“I clicked on the link, and the message that came up said there was a problem with my account,” Moore said.
As soon as Moore clicked on that link, the fake company downloaded malware to his computer.
“I was extremely angry at the people for doing this, and then I was angry at myself for getting hooked by it,” he said.
Daniel Irwin with the BBB of the Mid-South said the scammers will send you an email or create a pop-up on your computer to get you to buy tech support services to fix a problem you don’t have.
“We’ve heard it from anywhere from a virus to we’ve even heard reports where they are trying to scare people and tell them they found child pornography on their computer, and you have to pay…
