BLOOMINGTON — A Bloomington mother of three is sharing her story after losing $1,400 to a tech support scam.
Serene Coons was doing homework when her screen went black, and a pop-up message told her to call a phone number.
“I called them and I was speaking to a foreign guy; he sounded foreign,” said Coons. “He told me my computer was being hacked, my ID number. He showed me everything on my computer, what was going on.”
The man identified himself as a technician for Microsoft.
“He downloaded some info on my computer, which I thought it was a program to get rid of hackers — you know, like software,” said Serene. “The way he was talking to me, he sounded like a professional.”
Serene spent $1,400 before she realized she was a victim of a tech support scam.
She filed a report with the Better Business Bureau Serving Central Indiana.
“We saw consumers in Central Indiana reported losing more than $5,000 in this con,” said Jennifer Adamany, spokesperson for the BBB Serving Central Indiana. “The scammer will pose as a tech support employee of a well-known computer company – often it’s Microsoft, Comcast, Dell even Norton.”
Typically, the scammers try to sell you services or software to protect your computer. In reality, they’re trying to get access to your personal information.
The scam can begin as a call, text, email or pop-up message on your computer.
“If you come across a pop up warning screen on your device, simply disconnect from the internet either hardline or…
