It can happen to you so quickly. And before you know it, you have lost control.

You’re on your laptop checking your bank account – or playing Sudoku - when suddenly a warning pops up from McAfee or Norton Antivirus (both reputable anti-virus and protective technology companies) that your computer has been hacked.

Click here, the flashing words scream! Or, you think, it’s better to call that 800 number and talk to somebody. So with your heart hammering, you call because you don’t understand what just happened and you want to protect yourself from any damage.

 The toll-free number is answered by a kindly representative who calmly says, “Let me see what happened. I’ll need access to your laptop so I can help you out. What’s your password so we can get started?”

And so it begins – you have just opened the door to a team of professional scam artists who can now access all accounts you have online: bank, credit cards, retirement, emails, contacts, addresses – and your identity.

“They create a sense of urgency,” explained Lt. Daniel Collinge Jr. of the Rutland Police Department. “They get you confused because they want you to act quickly before you have time to think about exactly what they have you doing. They don’t want you taking a breath to call a friend or family member. They create panic.”

Detective Cassie DeSousa says the Rutland Police Department fields five to six scam cases a week. They might be phishing scams, Medicare or insurance scams, romance scams, lottery or sweepstakes scams, or a tech support scam. She agrees with Collinge that these professionals are good at their jobs. “Once you call that number, you have initiated contact with these criminals,” said DeSousa. “And they keep escalating the “seriousness” of what they have supposedly discovered on your computer.” 

After being passed from one “security expert” to another, each escalating the panic you’re feeling, you are finally referred to a “government official” who is going to assess the situation and help. According to DeSousa, the conversation then goes something like this:

“It looks like your Social Security number is actually being used abroad right now. Someone using your identity has taken out $1 million worth of loans overseas in your name. Oh, this is really bad. We have to secure your assets right now. We need to protect your accounts right now.”

So the victim, bewildered and confused, says he has an account with $40,000 in it. “Let’s open that up,” says the ‘government official,’ “and transfer the money immediately into a secure government wallet.”

 “Except it’s not a secure government account,” explained DeSousa. “It’s some bank overseas or some account that belongs to a guy in a rundown house in Jersey.”

And then the conversation continues: “Ok – what else have you got? Let’s take care of that.”

DeSousa said some professionals drain victims’ assets quickly in one conversation, or over months at a time. When one Rutland resident’s life savings had been drained, he finally realized he had been scammed. But by then he was so embarrassed he didn’t want to admit what had happened.

 “It took his family and his friends a while to convince him to come in and talk to us,” said DeSousa. “Obviously he broke down when we started talking. I spoke with him for over three hours and yes, he was out of his life savings.”

“Once you click that link on your computer screen, the caller can see everything you’re seeing,” said Collinge. “They can see your accounts, they can see the password you’re typing in, they can see how much money is in the account.

“You’re going to hear some common threads about how these scams work,” said Collinge. “Unsolicited contact, creating a sense of urgency, this has to happen right now or you’re going to lose everything, preying on a trusting victim. These callers are professionals – this is their job.”

DeSousa and Collinge said they get a fair number of romance scams, too, which are different than the tech support or banking scams because these do not work on a sense of urgency. These criminals take time to develop trust. 

Phony crypto investments, phony relationships that started online, DeSousa has heard them all.

“It’s unfortunate,” said DeSousa, “but Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook – they’re massive breeding grounds for disasters and scams.”

Sometimes the romance turns into an opportunity to invest cryptocurrency into a “brother’s investment company” that has seen extraordinary gains. Except the investment company is a fake website that is controlled by the bad guys controlling the woman – or man. And over weeks, the victim, with access to the fake investment website, sees extraordinary gains of 30 percent or more. Who wouldn’t want to get into that kind of investment?

The romances that turn to financial fraud are called pig-butchering scams: The victim is fattened up before taken to slaughter.

“They have all these people in massive warehouses in Laos who just develop these relationships on line,” says Collinge. They make calls every day all over the world, coaxing the victim over time to invest tens of thousands of dollars into cryptocurrency. And the day the man says he has no more money to invest, the woman just disappears – along with the money. No contact, no website, no Facebook account – everyone and everything gone.

Fortunately for this victim, he came in and spoke with DeSousa within hours of his “investment” disappearing. DeSousa was able to contact Tether, the cryptocurrency that handled the transaction, and have the money frozen before it could splinter into hundreds of other accounts.

Collinge points out that with all the security breaches in cell phone companies, hospitals, insurance companies – people’s personal information is out there. “They have your name, your Social Security number, your credit card, the CCV number on your card, where you live, how you pay online,” said Collinge. “They have bought all this data and it’s just a matter of time until they call and try to scam you.”

Collinge and DeSousa work with federal agencies as well as other local law enforcement agencies to try and recover the losses. They also belong to networks that share information about current scams in the area. 

“If you’re not sure just what happened or what you should do,” said Collinge, “just come down to the police station, have a five-minute discussion with us, tell us what happened, and we can figure out the best next steps.”

The Rutland Police Department will sponsor a scam prevention and safety symposium on November 6, 10 am-1 pm at the Rutland Senior Center. Rutland Fire Department will discuss fire safety and other town agencies and departments will attend.

Top Scam-prevention Tips

Information courtesy of the Rutland Police Department

Don’t Give Personal info over the Phone

NEVER share your Social Security number, Medicare number, bank details or passwords with anyone from an unsolicited call.

If someone claims to be from your bank or a government agency, hang up and call back using an official number – not one they give you.

Beware of “Too Good to be True” Offers

Free vacations, lottery winnings, or investment opportunities that guarantee high returns are often scams.

If you didn’t enter it – you didn’t win it.

Avoid Pressure to Act Quickly

Scammers create urgency (“your grandson is in jail” or “you owe the IRS”) to trick you into acting without thinking.

Take your time. Talk to a trusted friend or family member first before you act.

Don’t Trust Caller ID

Scammers can “spoof” numbers to make it look like they’re calling from your bank, Medicare, or even the police.

If in doubt, hang up and call back on a number you trust.

Watch out for “Romance” Scams

Be cautious of new online relationships who ask for money, especially if you have never met them in person.

Never send money or gift cards to someone you haven’t met.

Don’t Pay with Gift Cards or Wire Transfers

Legitimate companies and government agencies will never ask for payment in gift cards or wire transfers like Western Union.

If someone demands payment this way, it’s a scam. Hang up.

Be Skeptical of Tech Support Calls

Microsoft, Apple or other companies do not call you to report a virus on your computer.

Don’t allow remote access to your computer unless you initiated the contact with a reputable company. 

Shred Personal Documents

Shred bank statements, credit card offers, credit card statements, and anything with your name, address, or financial information on it before you throw it out.

Sign up for Alerts

Visit www.ftc.gov/scams or your local police department’s website to get email alerts about new scams in your area.

If your home is recorded at the Registry of Deeds, enroll in the free Consumer Notification Service, which alerts you by email if a new document is recorded for your property. Visit cns.masslandrecords.com to enroll.

Trust Your Instincts

If something feels off or too good to be true - it probably is.

It’s okay to say no and hang up.

In Conclusion

Don’t be embarrassed – these are professional, smooth-talking scammers who do this for a living. If you believe you have been scammed, report it immediately:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC): 877-382-4357 or reportfraud.ftc.gov

Call AARP’s helpline at 877-908-3360 M-F, 8 am-8 pm (you do not need to be an AARP member) if you suspect a scam.

Your local police department, especially if money was stolen.