Sheriff Warns Of Local Computer Scam

Bogus Company Asking For Money To Remove Non-Existent Virus

Edmonson Voice Staff Report:
Edmonson County Sheriff Shane Doyle has issued a warning for county residents as a result of multiple reports of a scam that's currently popular in the area.

Doyle is calling this a "Computer Virus Scam."

"County residents are getting phone calls from someone who claims that a dangerous computer virus has been discovered on the victim's computer and the caller will arrange a repair for $299," said Doyle.

He said it was scam, that there are no viruses, and the company does not actually repair anything--all they simply want is quick money.

"Never give bank, credit card, or any other financial information over the phone," said the Sheriff. "In today's times, we recommend ignoring a call from a number you don't recognize. If it's truly a necessary call they will leave a message with information that can either be verified or it will be someone that you know."

Sadly, many of the scam callers are no longer real people. Many cell providers have reported that nearly half of all cell phone calls were robocalls in 2019. 40% of those calls were scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission. 

"It's also difficult for us to track these numbers because they change all the time and scammers can also "spoof" their number to appear as a local one," said Doyle. "The easiest thing to do is to simply ignore the call, but if you answer and someone wants to sell you something, asks for money or other personal information, hang up."