Money Mechanics Blog

Stay alert! Tech support scams are rising in popularity and scammers will use different tactics to trick you and to make themselves seem legitimate. Knowing their tactics will help you avoid falling victim to their scam and losing your hard-earned money.

If you have been in contact with someone online or over the phone and they have told you to withdrawl cash, send a wire transfer, purchase gift cards, or send cryptocurrency, do not complete the transaction and stop all communication with them. Scammers will instruct you not to tell your family or the credit union what you are doing; this is a red flag. Scammers will offer to do a three way call with Allegius to make their request seem legitimate. The caller does not call Allegius and instead calls another scammer to pose as a credit union employee. In order to protect yourself, ensure you are the one calling Allegius at 800-537-8386.   

Phone Calls

Scammers will often call and pretend to be a technician from a well-known company. They will say they have found a problem with your computer and will ask you to give them remote access in order to fix it. They then will try and make you pay to fix a problem that does not exist. If you get a phone call you did not expect from someone who says there is a problem with your computer, hang up.

 Pop-Ups

Scammers may try to trick you using a pop-up window on your computer screen. It may look like an error message from your operating system or a notification from your antivirus software. It may even use the company’s official logo. The message will warn you about a security issue or expiring software coverage and tell you to call a phone number to get help. If you receive this kind of pop-up do not call the number. Real security warnings will never ask you to call a phone number.

What To Do if a Scammer Has Your Information

• Change your password (If you use this password for other accounts be sure to change them too)
• Uninstall any applications or programs they have asked you to install
• Run a full scan with an antivirus program and remove any problems it detects
• If you are not tech-savvy, take your device to a trusted, local technician for them to repair

To find out more information please visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.