Tech Support Scam Reported in St Martin Parish

It seems like every day the bad guys come up with a new way to try and swindle hard-working folks out of their money. The latest scam report comes to us from St. Martin Parish where authorities there say a tech support scam has been noted.

In the scam, the victim receives either a phone call or a pop-up window shows up on their computer screen. The pop-up window has a number to call for assistance. Once the scammer and the potential victim are connected via the phone, the bad guys ask for permission to access your computer.

Once you've let them in, that's when they disclose that there will be a fee for their services. All of that is really inconsequential because once they are in your computer, everything on your computer is at their disposal. So, the best thing you can do is not allow them access to your machine.

The Better Business Bureau offers these helpful tips to help you avoid money stealing scams online.

• Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you know it’s the rep of a computer support team you contacted.
• Legitimate tech support companies don’t call unsolicited.
• Look out for warning screens like sponsored ads when searching online for tech support.
• Be wary of sponsored links.
• Avoid clicking on links in unfamiliar emails.

Sheriff Beckett Breaux of St. Martin Parish told KLFY's Sylvia Masters, in a story on the TV station website, that scammers particularly love to prey on the elderly in these kinds of scams. That's because a lot of older people are not as computer savvy as some younger people.

The Sheriff encourages you to speak with older family members about this scam and make sure they are informed that such a nefarious practice has been noted in the area.