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Recently, one person recounted his experience with a scam he thinks his dad is currently a victim of. It all started when his dad complained of being hacked through an Apple phishing scam, so he called Apple to help resolve it. The scammers, pretending to be the Apple support team, spent hours on the phone with him and convinced him to install several remote access apps like TeamViewer. Eventually, they coerced him into making a Bitcoin purchase, likely as part of a broader financial scam. It’s a reminder of how easily even the tech-savvy can fall victim to well-crafted cons.
“Apple” took over his PC and asked him to control some of his bank accounts so they could “draw out the hackers” by making vulnerable-looking purchases. So, this “Apple Support” bought and sent Bitcoin on Coinbase and Venmo through the dad’s account. They had withdrawn $1500 from the account, but his dad wasn’t worried because they assured him it would be refunded after the “investigation.”
The son, who is skeptical about the whole ordeal, asks others their thoughts on the matter.
1. Lost Money
Your dad is being scammed and has lost his money to scammers, said one person bluntly. They tell the son his dad must stop now to avoid further losses. Without mincing words, they inform the poster that Apple’s cyber security story is nonsense. They urged the user to stop his dad; otherwise, he would have everything stolen soon.
2. Unplug
One user tells the son that his dad needs to unplug his PC from the internet or turn off his WiFi right now. He should save important information and documents to an external hard drive, reformat the PC, and do a clean install. The user also advises them to scan the external hard drive with antivirus and malware scanners before assessing any files. Move them back to the PC only after they’re cleaned and checked.
3. Only Scammers
A computer security expert with 20 years of experience on the platform says they never do this. “He is being scammed,” said the expert. “Only scammers do something like this. They’re collecting information, and they will, in one fell swoop, take everything. They will empty his accounts. They will take loans against his car. His pension will be redirected, or his 401k/IRA will be emptied. He will be locked out of his credit file. He will lose almost every asset he has. The $1500 will be nothing compared to the total loss.”
4. Scot Free
One person tells the son that even after the scammers may have ruined his dad’s life, the fun part is that they’d go scot-free. Sure, his dad can call the police, but there’s absolutely nothing they can do. They aren’t equipped for this. Most of these fraudulent transactions occur outside the country, beyond their jurisdiction. So there’ll be hardly anything they can do to recover the lost money.
5. Take Back Control
The son is advised to have his dad take back control of his account by changing his passwords, setting multi-factor authentication to the son’s phone, and doing it from the son’s computer. They should change all security questions, then wipe everything he owns immediately, even factory resetting his router. Once they’re satisfied and have everything changed and cleaned, they can move the authentication to the dad’s phone. They also need to call his banks and explain what happened. They’ll put significant added security on his accounts to prevent transfers.
6. Freeze
One user tells the son that his dad has to contact the bank and freeze all his accounts. He also needs to do the same for his credit cards. The credit cards will be easier since they’re used to things like this. He must also contact the three credit rating agencies (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax). They’ll put a warning on his credit rating, which should stop or stall new loans being taken out in his name.
7. Holding a Gun
“This situation is the same as a thief holding a gun to your head as you transfer every single penny you have into the thief’s account,” said one person. “Go now and unplug everything. There is no security team. They are scammers with deep control of your father’s devices. Go to the bank as well and warn them of what is happening, so they can at least freeze the account before it goes into negative (make no mistake, it will.)”
8. Call Apple
Someone else encouraged the son to call Apple (the genuine Apple, this time.) They’d confirm that the story isn’t legit and that they’d never connect to a PC (not even an Apple Mac) through TeamViewer, and they’d never “draw” the scammers out by making purchases on the victim’s behalf.
9. Expert
Someone tells the user to go to his bank and explain the situation, then asks them to serve as the “expert,” if they can, to tell his dad this is a scam.
10. Nothing Apple Would Ever Do
Someone who used to work helping people with all issues Apple says this is nothing Apple would ever do. They say they would screen share and walk people through things now and then, but only on Apple devices. They’d also never use anything personal of the caller or ask for any personal information. The person opines that the dad is being scammed and must change all his email and account passwords.
