SIDNEY — New York State Police are warning the public after recently receiving an increasing number of complaints from victims of computer and phone scams.
Most recently, several citizens have been targeted in the Otsego County area.
Troopers have learned that several victims have lost thousands of dollars and some have even lost their life savings.
A victim recently reported to investigators in Sidney that they got a pop-up alert on their computer monitor and it appeared to be from Apple.
The pop-up message appeared with a phone number to dial for help.
When the victim called it, the scammer on the other end told the victim that their account was linked to child pornography, that the victim’s identity was compromised and that their personal information was on the dark web.
The victim was then told to contact another number which was allegedly to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Anti-Fraud Division.
The scammers sent a “courier” to the victim’s house to pick up payment to allegedly fix the problem.
Police said scammers try to manipulate emotions and create urgency to push victims into giving them money, gold bars, bitcoin, cryptocurrency or gift cards.
A real tech company will never ask customers to call a phone number, police said.
Authorities advise residents not to share personal information with unsolicited callers.
