The FBI is warning against a new "phantom hacker" scam that's already caused some older Americans to lose their entire savings.
This scam sees hackers pretending to be tech support or government institutions to gain trust. They then go after the largest accounts they can find and drain them.
The FBI wrote, "Between January and June 2023, 19,000 complaints about tech support scams were submitted...with estimated victim losses of over $542 million. Almost 50% of the victims were over 60 years old."
The agency reminds you not to click pop-up texts, messages, links, or emails and never let an unknown person take control of your computer.
- 'Phantom Hacker' Scam Targets Older Adults, FBI Warns | Lamorinda, CA Patch