Top 5 scams targeting Jacksonville families

A Jacksonville couple say they were tricked out of their hard-earned money by a scammer who targeted their new computer.

Josephine McCarthy, 72, says she logged onto her husband’s brandnew laptop and got an alert saying it was infected by a virus.

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“This thing popped up and said your computer has been infected by a virus and we’re going to shut it down and you have to call this number immediately,” she said.

Worried about their new investment, she says she called – then paid $200 for the person to wipe the computer and install security software.

But the apparent scam didn’t end there.

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“He called back again and said they were going out of business and that he wanted to return the $200 I had paid to him, but that he would need some banking information,” she said.

She says he claimed to have overpaid her for the refund and asked her to buy gift cards to return the money.

“He said you have a store by you, go get two Google Play cards and I said 'Oh, no.' As soon as I heard that, I knew something was wrong," she said.

The BBB says reports to its scam tracker show Northeast Florida consumers lost a total of $527,970 in 2018, and $55,845 so far this year.

The top five scams reported in 2019 include:

1. Online purchase
2. Employment
3. Phishing
4. Fake invoice
5. Fake check/money order

“I thought he was for real. I thought I was helping my husband with his computer and we got taken for $200. Thankfully it wasn’t more,” McCarthy said.

She and her husband shared their story in hopes other families won’t fall for the scheme.

Action News Jax reached out to Microsoft regarding people posing as Microsoft subcontractors and they sent the following statement:

“Microsoft will never proactively call you to provide technical assistance. If you receive an unsolicited phone call or see a pop-up on your computer—don’t take the risk—just hang up or close your browser. If you believe you may have been the victim of a Tech Support Scam, immediately report any information about the scam to local authorities. You can also alert Microsoft through our Report a Scam form.”

More information can be found on the Microsoft "Protect yourself from tech support scams" support page.

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Cox Media Group