Federal authorities are warning about Phantom Hacker scams, a layered fraud scheme that can trick victims into moving their own money to criminals, according to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The scam often begins with someone posing as tech support. The person may contact a victim by phone, text, email, or a pop-up message and claim a computer problem needs immediate attention.
The FBI says victims are then directed to download software that grants the scammer remote access to their computers.
Once inside, the scammer may pretend to run a virus scan and claim the device, bank account, or investment account has been hacked.
The next phase can make the scheme feel more believable.
A second scammer may pose as a bank or brokerage representative and tell the victim that money must be moved to a safe third-party account, including an account supposedly tied to the Federal Reserve or another US government agency.
The FBI says victims may be told to transfer money through wire transfers, cash, or cryptocurrency. Some are instructed to make several transactions over the course of days or months.
A third scammer may then pose as a US government employee. The person may use official-looking letterhead to make the scheme seem legitimate.
The FBI says victims often lose entire banking, savings, retirement, or investment accounts under the false promise that their assets are being protected.
Nearly half of the victims who reported those scams were over age 60, and that group accounted for 66 percent of the losses, the FBI said.
The FBI says the US government will never ask people to send money by wire transfer to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or prepaid cards.
The agency also warns people not to click unsolicited pop-ups, text links, email links, or attachments. People should not call phone numbers listed in pop-ups, texts, or emails. They also should not download software or allow remote access to their computers at the request of someone who contacted them unexpectedly.
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Anyone targeted by a cyber-related scam can report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
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