JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two specific pop-up scams are targeting local shoppers and bank customers right now.
The Better Business Bureau and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office say they are circulating right now in our area.
A pop-up is a message that can appear in your email inbox, on your computer screen or can come via text message. It is made to look like a message that needs immediate attention, like a warning.
The first scam involves a pop-up that warns someone fraudulent charges have been made to their bank account and provides a number to call. Tom Stephens, president of the Northeast Florida office of the Better Business Bureau, explained what happens if you call the number listed in the pop-up.
“They’re basically lying to you and tell you that you have a charge, fraudulent charges on your bank account, and if you pay us money, we’ll fix it for you, so you won’t get in trouble,” he said Thursday on “The Morning Show.” “It’s all a scam.”
Calling the number connects you with a scammer and opens you up to the risk of giving out personal information. To avoid these kinds of pop-up scams on your computer, Stephens suggested you enable pop-up blocker through your toolbar.
The other scam like this is a pop-up claiming to be from an online retailer. Stephens said his office has received calls about this one too. He said a person will order a product, pay for it and then never receive the order.
He warns these scams are very convincing.
“They’re called con artists for a good reason. They really know what they are doing and they know how to pull the strings to either intimidate you or to get you to believe them,” he said.
Another reminder, if you receive a text message from a number you do not recognize containing a link, Stephens said do not click on it — delete it. Scammers are using links to install malware.