A new warning says Amazon shoppers in Northeast Florida are being targeted by criminals who are taking over their computers.
The Better Business Bureau recently alerted consumers to the scam on social media after being contacted by someone who was targeted.
Shannon Nelson, of the BBB’s Northeast Florida and Southeast Atlantic office, said she received a call this week from a 70-year-old woman who told her that she was looking up information about an Amazon product when she clicked on a site and then dialed a number she believed was Amazon customer service.
"A third party broke in and said, 'We are with this company, and we want to offer you this security for your computer.' Then from there, we're not sure how they then gained access to her computer," Nelson said.
Jaqueline only wanted us to use her first name to avoid being targeted again, but she said the third party began a sales pitch for anti-virus software for her computer.
"When I kept refusing, they kept lowering the price," Jaqueline said.
She said she was given the company name Tech Crew LLC, and they first told her their product would cost $1,499 but eventually lowered their price to $1,000. She still refused to purchase anything.
Jaqueline said that shortly after she finished that phone call, she realized that her computer was moving very slowly. She also realized a symbol in the corner of her screen contained software she had never installed.
"They have been harassing me ever since. The last conversation I had with them, they threatened me with legal action. I'm very frustrated and I'm very frightened. I don't know what they're going to do. I do feel violated," Jaqueline said.
Nelson said this is the first time she and her colleagues have heard this type of scam in their office, and people always need to be aware of what sites they are clicking on.
"Make sure the address in the address bar is the website that you are trying to visit and not some spoofed information," Nelson said.
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