OCSO January Scams Update

Oconee County Sheriff’s Deputies said they were recently informed of a scam in which the victim’s computer was hacked. The hacker was reportedly able to gain remote access to the computer, upon which a window popped up with a number to tech support. After calling the number, the victim provided some credit and debit card information. The victim was instructed to withdraw $15,000.00 from his account and re-deposit it in an ATM. The victim went to his financial institution and spoke with an employee of the bank, who cancelled all of his cards and advised him that no transaction had taken place.

Sheriff Mike Crenshaw received information on a computer scam as well. According to the Sheriff, a computer in a residence started making a beeping sound after an incoming e-mail with an alert to call a telephone number. The scammer pretended to help solve the issue and got the victim to mail money to take care of the issue and prevent it from happening again.

And in another recently reported scam, a deputy spoke with a victim whom stated that a company, that acted as DirecTV, offered him a deal for four months of free television. The victim would have to pay $500 up front using an eBay card from any store. The victim bought the card and sent the company the money, who stated that they never received the money. The victim called eBay, which requested a law enforcement report to prove fraudulent intent.