STATELINE (WIFR) – The season of giving may be coming to an end, but as shoppers return gifts, the season of taking might also come into play.
According to the FBI, victims of consumer cyber crime filed almost 800,000 complaints in 2020, totaling more than $4 billion in losses.
“That was the most terrifying part…To see like $90 go somewhere and then $50 go somewhere and it’s all happening so fast I was like John they are in our bank account,” says Cooper Simon-Tobin.
In early December, as Cooper and Jonathan were planning a fun evening for the family, they got a text that looked to be from Best Buy’s Geek Squad, saying they would be charged $189.
“They said in order for you to get your money back, you have to download a refund form,” says Jonathan Jones-Tobin.
After the couple filled out the form, the scammers claimed it wasn’t going through… That’s when they knew something was up
“He looks at me and he goes this is a scam and just slams the laptop shut. And as he’s slamming the laptop shut i was on our phone in my bank account and I’m noticing money being transferred in between our accounts in real time.”
They also lost an additional $200 to get their laptop wiped by best buy’s geek squad and a $100 charge from PayPal, which they got back. Cooper says this is an Anydesk scam disguised as a legit company.
“Even reputable sites can be compromised so keep your guard up. And something we can all do is just triple check our credit card statements for…
