PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla — The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) is advising residents of a computer security scam that has already fooled one person out of over half a million dollars.
PCSO said scammers are using fake McAfee security pop-ups to trick people into giving them remote computer access.
Once they have access, they dupe the victim into depositing money into Bitcoin ATMs, purchasing gold bars, and withdrawing money that is transferred to the scammer.
One victim was conned out of over $530,000, PCSO said.
PCSO advises residents to protect themselves by not giving personal or account information over the phone or computer, never allowing remote access to unexpected pop-ups, not clicking on pop-up links, and keeping security software up-to-date.
"To keep hitting stone walls trying to resolve the matter—that’s not consumer friendly"
A retired law enforcement officer thought he took all the right steps when someone stole his identity and opened a new phone line, but he was still left with the bill.
