Lyon County law enforcement is warning citizens about a scam after a Lyon County citizen lost his identity and $2,000.
According to Sheriff Brent White, this scam is being repeated against Lyon County citizens as this was the fourth report in 2022. He says the scam involves a victim using an internet router in their home — usually an AT&T brand — and a “bad actor” remoting in via the router to control the victim’s computer. He said the actor will then display a message on the screen which appears legitimate — usually with a Microsoft logo — and then instructs the victim to call a phone number because they have detected suspicious activity with the victim’s computer. Once you call the number, Sheriff White says the victim is instructed to allow a ruse actor to remote into their computer. Once they gain access, he says they immediately locate bank information if the victim uses remote banking and tells the victim there are suspicious hackers attempting to take their money.
Sheriff White says the “bad actor then pledges to assist the victim and transfers them to another ruse actor who claims to be with the victim’s bank. The actor then instructs the victim to transfer funds by wire or withdraw money from their account to convert them to pre-paid cards which can be obtained at a grocery, convenience, or similar store. He points out the card of choice recently is Sephora gift cards; previously it was green dot gift cards.
Sheriff White says this investigation, thus far, has revealed these are foreign actors who operate both within and outside the United States. He notes they are sophisticated in their techniques and appear very credible but they are not. He explains that these actors appear to have all the default passwords to routers (usually located on a sticker on the router) sold within the United States in the last ten years. He encourages citizens who haven’t changed their password to their router to do so because it’s the safest way to protect yourself against this scam.
