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Crooks will do everything they can to scam Out of your money or personal information. Their patterns can start with something as simple as SMS "Hi" , or use the names of well -known retailers . But no matter what they choose to do, these crooks often count on deceiving their victims thanks to technology, which is sometimes easier to achieve for those of us who grew up before the age of smartphones and social media. Now the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns that the crooks target the elderly with a new technological program. Read the rest to find out more about the rise of this expensive scam.

In relation: The FBI says that these are the scams of the owners to watch for the moment .

Internet provided the crooks with a huge playground. The Center for Crime Complaints on the Internet of the FBI (IC3) indicated that it had received 800,944 complaints concerning Online fraud diagrams In 2022, which is actually 5% lower than the previous year. But while the number of complaints has decreased, the quantity lost for crooks has increased significantly, by 49%.

Last year, the victims lost more than $ 10.3 billion for internet scams, according to the IC3. And the most affected? Older adults. The agency said that "the biggest loss in dollars" had been observed in American adults who were 60 and over in 2022.

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Scholars are quick to change their tactics in order to strike more victims. Recently, officials began to see a "national increase" in a new technological support program targeting the elderly, warned the FBI in a July 18 Message of public interest .

"Technological support crooks generally launch contact with the victims of older adults via a telephone call, an SMS, an e-mail or a contextual window claiming to be the support of a legitimate company," said the agency.

This type of scam is hardly new, of course. But in a unique turn of the technological support program, the FBI said that the crooks are now trying to convince the victims to send money through sea companies.

In relation: The FBI issues a new warning on the latest scams designed to "steal your money".

This diet generally begins with a false message to someone, either claiming that there has been a fraudulent activity for a subscription service, or that it had a potential refund for the service, according to the FBI. The follow -up messages are then sent containing a phone number which they are invited to call using the problem. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

After the call, the victims are connected to a crook who convinces them to download software so that the reimbursement is deposited on their bank account. But once the crook has obtained remote access to the victim's computer, he claimed that they have "accidentally" put a greater amount than expected on the victim's bank account and they will lose their jobs if the additional money has not returned.

"The crook orders the victim to send the money in cash, wrapped in a magazine (s) or a similar concealment method, via a maritime company to a name and an address provided by the crook," explained the FBI. "More recently, the crooks have asked the victims to send packages containing money to pharmacies and retail companies that are equipped to receive maritime company packages."

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You might assume that you would never fall in love with a scam asking you to send hidden money to magazines, but once you are wrapped in a plan like this, it can be difficult to see clearly. In that spirit, the FBI has provided several tips to help you protect you against this new expensive scam.

As the first line of defense, the agency said that you should not click on "unsolicited contextual windows, links sent via SMS or links or attachments". You should not contact a phone number provided in one of these contextual, SMS or emails.

But if you end up making one of these mistakes, you still have time to save yourself if you refuse to download software that has pushed you by a stranger.

"Never allow an unknown individual who contacted you to have control of your computer," said the FBI.

If you arrive at this stage, the agency has a last advice to keep your money out of crooks: "Never send money by mail or sea companies."