Scammers cheat US man out RM3,448 for phony antivirus protection

An Allen Park man recently became a victim of scammers who posed as sellers of antivirus protection for his computers.

According to the man, on August 22, he received an email from an individual claiming to be an employee of a well-known antivirus company. The sender informed him about the expiration of his virus protection and the need for renewal on several laptops.

Law enforcement officials stated that the scammers initially requested the victim to purchase money cards, specifically those with a green dot. Unfortunately, the victim inadvertently provided them with his checking account details, assuming he was paying a sum of US$502 (RM2,339) to obtain antivirus protection.

However, he quickly realized that instead of deducting US$502 (RM2,339), the scammers had withdrawn an amount of US$740 (RM3,448) from his account under the guise of providing virus protection services. The victim thought he was merely renewing his antivirus subscription, but later discovered that it was an elaborate scam.

The man informed the authorities that his spouse is employed at the credit union where he held the said checking account. Consequently, the couple made the decision to transfer the funds from his previous account to a different one.

The scammers, who falsely claimed to be associated with the antivirus company, provided the victim with names that could not be independently verified. Despite acknowledging that he will not recover his funds, he opted to file a police report as a precautionary measure.

Source: The News Herald, Southgate, Mich./Tribune News Service