Tech Support Scam Makes The Rounds In Caddo Parish

A few folks in Caddo Parish have fallen prey to a scam making the rounds. And CPSO has issued a warning to the public:

"Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator has issued a warning about another scam making the rounds in our area. This one involves tech support.

It begins with the scammer contacting the victim under the guise of providing technical support or providing a refund for services the victim has already paid for.  The scammer will convince the victim to download software which will allow the scammer to remotely access the victim’s computer. 

After the scammer has access to the computer they persuade the victim to access their bank information under the pretense of refunding money or paying for the technical support.  Once the scammer has access to the bank information, they will use the inspect elements feature to change the appearance of the information on the screen so that it appears large sums of money were deposited into the victim’s account.  The scammer will tell the victim they were accidently given too much money and have them withdraw and mail the money to someone else.  The person who receives the money is very often also the victim of a scam and will be instructed to mail the money somewhere else or the scammers will have the victim purchase gift cards and give the card numbers to the scammer.

The following are tips to help citizens avoid falling victim to this scam:

• Never allow anyone to remotely access your computer;
• Do not give out personal information, credit/debit card numbers, or bank account numbers over the phone;
• Legitimate businesses will not ask for gift cards for payment or for their customers to mail large sums of cash; and
• Do not call any numbers provided in any messages or phone call.  Contact the local branch of the business or find a number on the business website."