FBI Urges Vigilance as 'Phantom Hackers' Target Americans' Savings
The FBI is warning about the rise of "phantom hacker" campaigns that have already defrauded victims of $542 million in the first half of 2023. These scams involve scammers posing as bank executives or government officials to trick victims, particularly older adults, into draining their own bank accounts. The scams often begin with fake notifications about a computer breach and escalate to convincing victims to transfer their funds to a "secure" government account. The FBI advises individuals to stay skeptical, validate alerts with official sources, halt transfers, regularly review bank statements, use two-factor authentication, educate others about the scams, avoid remote access, strengthen passwords, install reputable antivirus software, and report incidents to the FBI. Additionally, the article warns about the "Romance Scam," where scammers exploit online daters by building trust and then requesting financial assistance.