Scammers Utilizing Fraudulent Pop Up To Obtain Money (25-036)

PINELLAS COUNTY—The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging the public to be on alert for a recent scam utilizing a fraudulent pop-up.

The suspects are utilizing a fraudulent McAfee pop-up in order to gain remote access to the victim’s computer. The scammer then instructs the victims to deposit money into Bitcoin ATMs, buy gold bars, and withdraw large amounts of cash which is then collected by different couriers. Recently one victim lost over $530,000 due to this scam.

PLEASE NOTE:  We advise citizens not to give personal information or account information over the phone or computer and call the Sheriff’s Office to report suspicious activity. 

If anyone has information on this scam or has become a victim, they are asked to call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200.