Please share and educate your friends and loved ones, especially seniors!
When in doubt, DON'T, and call 911!
• The victim is electronically notified (email, pop-up on a computer, etc.) that their identity has been stolen, their bank accounts have been compromised, and their information is being used for illegal activity such as child porn, gun trafficking, and activity on the dark web.
• The email or pop-up includes a phone number the victim can call to fix the issue.
• The person on the other end usually says they are with Microsoft, and the victim gets passed around to other callers but always ends up talking to someone claiming they are an agent from the FTC.
• The victim is instructed to remove cash, usually in very large amounts, from their bank accounts.
• The victim is then instructed to package the cash exactly as the suspect wants and send pictures of the cash and the package to the suspect.
• The suspect then instructs the victim to meet another “agent” in a public place (usually a busy parking lot) and hand over the cash. In some instances, the victim is given a “code word” to say to the “agent” picking up the cash to make sure they are talking to the correct person.
• Suspects tell victims their cash will be safe and held in a vault until the investigation is over. Some suspects have even told the victims they would get interest.
• The victims are instructed not to tell anyone what is going on, including family, because it would implicate their family in the FTC investigation.
• The suspects continue this pattern until the victims catch on to the scam, often after multiple transactions and significant losses.
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