Boise Police Warn of Two Online Scams Hitting The Treasure Valley

Just a few weeks ago, we shared with you the news that several local credit unions were going through some drama. While the banks themselves were doing absolutely nothing wrong, scammers were getting in the way of how they were able to work with their clients. Emails were being blasted from fairly legitimate looking email accounts claiming that the clients accounts had been frozen, with a web link to repair their account status.

After a call to our own credit union-- it was as we expected, a scam.

Now, Boise Police are warning residents of two popular scams they're seeing a LOT of right now.

The first is a "remote access" scam that is similar to our original run in with the credit union emails. In this scam, the scammer uses a pop-up alerting you of "fraud" and will ask that you use a remote-access app such as TeamViewer or LogMeIn to have the "virus" removed.  Of course, the scammer will also ask for payment. Boise Police warn Boise residents and everyone that we should never allow access to our computers or phones. If you suspect something really is up with your devices or account, call for help from reputable companies or manufacturers.

The second scam, we have to admit, is a little bit funny once you know what it is. In this instance, scammers are reaching out to you via text message claiming to be your boss or your CEO and they're asking for help. Some examples are:

• The boss wants to give everyone a $100 bonus
• The boss asks employee to buy gift cards for a charity
• The boss is asking for money and he/she will reimburse you later

Of course, in all of these instances, the scammer wants you to buy things for them, primarily gift cards.

Watch out for these scams, Boise! For more information, check out the Boise Police Department's web resources, HERE.