charleston – West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office recently received multiple calls from consumers across the state reporting a technology scam.
Consumers report having received a voicemail in which a major technology company demands payment, typically between $299 and $399, for antivirus software that the consumer supposedly purchased.
Consumers who return the voicemail typically speak with an impostor who claims to represent the company. The impostor will urge the consumer to make payment via credit card or gift card or by providing bank account information. The impostor may also seek to gain access to the consumer’s computer, if payment is refused.
Other versions of the scam have involved technology company impostors demanding payment and access to the consumer’s computer to remove a virus that does not exist. Consumers who fall for the ploy receive no relief from a virus but instead give away cash and access to hack into their system, placing sensitive data at risk.
In one recent incident, a consumer received a scam call even though the person does not own a computer.
The attorney general urges all consumers to visit the technology company’s legitimate website and call its legitimate phone number to confirm the validity of any such voicemail, call or email.
Those believing they are a victim of this scam can call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808 or the Eastern Panhandle Consumer Protection Office in Martinsburg at 304-267-0239 or visit the office online at www.wvago.gov.
