Near-Victim Of Phishing Scam Shares Story To Educate Others

A near victim of a phishing scam has shared his story with hopes of keeping others from becoming victims.

Larry, a resident of Wichita in Kansas, said even though the scammers walked away without getting his money, they did gain access to his computer and bank account.

He and his wife had to set up a new bank account, reset all of their direct deposits and get their computer cleared of malware, reports said.

Larry received an email claimed to be from Best Buy’s Geek Squad, alerting him that he was being charged for separate virus protection.

"I was trying to cancel because virus protection for three years, $349, is quite a bit," Larry said.

So, he dialed the phone number given in the email and that directed him to another number to call.

"(They) had my name, my address, where I banked, knew that I was with the Geek Squad," Larry said. "They knew I had total tech support and knew I had an automatic payment coming out."

Larry said the scammers gained access to his computer and bank account and began demanding money. Larry said he refused and disconnected the call.

"I deleted the email, I deleted everything right then and shut everything off and got my little rear to the bank."

Denise Groene, Kansas Region Vice President of the Better Business Bureau said these phishing emails are a common sight.

"Scammers know they have access to make these phishing attempts look as legitimate and credible as possible, so you may see the company logo. You may see the company email address," Groene said.

He advises users not to click on links or call included phone numbers in any email that appears to be from a business or service you use. Instead, users should log into their account directly or call numbers listed by the company on its website.

Another way to identify if you are being scammed is by hovering over the link you see in an email, Groene reminds not to click on it.

By doing this, the link where it actually takes you will appear at the bottom of the screen.

"(If an) email claims to be from UPS and you hover over that link and www.ups.com is not the first thing you see, more than likely that is a phishing attempt," Groene said.

Larry said he hopes his experience will help and educate others.

"Like I told my wife, that ain’t gonna happen again," he said.