The phone calls and emails come almost daily. Somebody needs money or somebody is looking for an easy way to make money off of the backs of the honest. It seems no one is immune to the attempts to scam.
Local resident Eileen Erb has a warning for Princetonites about a scam that she says specifically targets seniors. Erb was at home last Wednesday morning when her phone rang. She was told that her computer was having problems and that the caller could fix them...all she had to do was give the caller access to her computer.
“It’s a real scam,” stated Erb. “First they charge you something like $150 to “clean” your computer up and once they are in to your computer, they have access to all your personal financial information. People have to be really careful and not allow anyone access to your passwords and private information.”
The computer scam targeting seniors hit Princeton hard last week and Erb warns residents to be careful. “Don’t give any personal information out over the phone to anyone. You don’t know who is at the other end of the phone.”
Erb’s caller had an unknown number on her call display. This deliberate decision to hide a phone number should be a red flag to the public that the caller has something to hide. Other residents have not been so lucky. Erb knows of at least one senior who believed the caller and allowed the bogus computer care company into his computer. “This poor man was ripped off,” stated Erb. “We have to be careful. Our computers are full of personal information. It is up to us to protect that information because once it is out there, who knows what will happen to us.”