Have you been a victim of any Internet scams?

2014-10-21T17:49:53-04:00

Since this is a military oriented forum, I guess that would be a good focus for this topic, but I'm talking about any online scam at all.

And the reason I ask is that my 14-year-old daughter was a victim of the "FBI Virus" scam on her Android phone this past weekend. The "FBI Virus" is ransomware: you click on a link, install a video player, and you're a victim. You receive a message that your phone is locked and you must pay to unlock it. Sadly, my daughter paid - without telling Mom or Dad. She withdrew the money from a savings account we have established for her (and that I thought she did not have access to).

For what it's worth, here's a link about the "FBI Virus" scam associated with cell phones:

http://blog.yoocare.com/how-to-remove-fbi-virus-from-android-phone/

What about you? Ever been scammed online?

How to Remove FBI Virus From Android Phone?

I was on my phone and I accidentally clicked on a malicious link, and then now I have a warning from the FBI saying that they had locked my phone due to some sort of violations andI had to pay a $500 fine!I did a little bit of quick research and it says that this is called FBI (Moneypak) viruswhich is a scam designed to scare people and extort their money. Of course I won’t pay anything on it. And I had already looked up some ways on how to...

Response by SGT Richard H. made Oct 21 at 2014 5:59 PM

2014-10-21T17:59:36-04:00

I haven't but a friend of mine got bilked out of $4000 buying a 4-wheeler on Ebay and paying by Western Union. NEVER pay by Western Union.

Response by Cpl Dennis F. made Oct 21 at 2014 7:45 PM

2014-10-21T19:45:49-04:00

I do occasionally collect some pop-up malware from clicking before thinking, but it is rare and easily enough removed. I still consider it a scam. Conning you into taking something you do not want.