Fake 'Hacker' Scam Warning Issued In Point Pleasant

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — Point Pleasant police are warning residents to not fall for a scam where callers claim to be investigating fraud and want victims to move their money to a "safe" third-party account.

In the scam, callers pretend to be a government agent or fraud investigator and tell the victim their computer and financial accounts have been accessed by a foreign hacker, police said.

They tell the victim they must move their money to a "safe" account and claim the third-party account is with the Federal Reserve or another U.S. government agency, police said. The scammer will emphasize that the victim's funds are at risk and must be moved into a new account to protect their money.

Police said the callers will tell the victim to transfer money via wire transfer, cash, or wire conversion to cryptocurrency. In reality, the victim is sending their funds directly to scammers overseas.

Police said to be alert that the scammer may try to send an email or letter on what appears to be official U.S. government letterhead when a victim becomes suspicious of the scam.

These scammers frequently target older residents, but police urge residents to alert friends or family members who may be vulnerable to such a claim.

• Do not click on unsolicited pop-ups or links sent via text message or email
• Do not open unsolicited attachments
• Do not call phone numbers provided in an unsolicited pop-up, text, or email
• Do not download software at the request of an unknown person who contacts you
• Do not allow an unknown person who contacts you to have control of your computer.

The U.S. government will never ask people to send money to them via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or prepaid cards. If you are a resident who feels you are a victim of fraud or attempted fraud, please contact the Point Pleasant Police Department at 732-892-0060 and file a police report.