Scams delivered by email, robocall and text messages are fairly widely known, but the BBB Serving Eastern Carolinas is cautioning the scammers can target victims through any device connected to the internet, and a smart TV is no exception.
BBB Scam Tracker has seen an increase in reports about scammers catching people off guard with pop-ups on their smart TVs.
Here’s how the scam works – a familiar streaming service opens with a pop-up, saying there is a problem with the device or subscription, and the user has to call a phone number or visit a website to fix it.
BBC officials say when people call the number, scammers pretend to be customer service representatives and will insist they pay an activation fee or allow them remote access to the smart TV.
The con artists then have access to the victim’s credit or debit card number or they may install malware on the TV and use it to gain access to sensitive personal information.
