FBI ALERT: ‘Phantom Hacker’ Now Draining Montana Retirement Accounts

Another day, another chance for all your hard work to just be wiped away by some "hacker" who couldn't be bothered to earn an honest dollar.

If you haven't checked your bank account in a while, after what you are about to read, you are going to want to.

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Turns out the FBI has issued a new warning online that could potentially be affecting Montana residents retirement funds.

A so called 'Phantom Hacker' has been targeting people, most of whom are elderly, and wiping out their life savings.

While not exactly the 'Phantom Hacker' scam, one lady in Montana recently lost $150,000 in an online scam, so don't think we're not vulnerable here.

READ NEXT: International Scammers Arrested After Elderly Montana Woman Lost $150K

How Does The 'Phantom Hacker' Scam Work?

According to the FBI here is how it starts,

Scammers are impersonating technology, banking, and government officials in a complex ruse to convince an elderly victim that foreign hackers have infiltrated their financial account. The scammers then instruct the victim to immediately move their money to an alleged U.S. Government account to “protect” their assets.

The victims then find out there was never any danger to their money, or any foreign hacker, but their money are now under control by the scammers.

How Can Montana Residents Protect Their Assets?

To make sure your information and your finances are safe and secure follow these tips from the FBI,

• Do not click on unsolicited pop-ups, links sent via text messages, email links, or attachments.
• Do not contact the telephone number provided in a pop-up, text, or email.
• Do not download software at the request of an unknown individual who contacted you.
• Do not allow an unknown individual who contacted you to have control of your computer.
• The U.S. Government will never request you send money to them via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards.

What Should You Do If You Get Scammed?

If you think you've been the victim of a scam report it immedietly to the FBI by clicking here and give as much information as possible, such as:

• The name of the person or company that contacted you.
• Methods of communication used, to include websites, emails, and telephone numbers.
• The bank account number where the funds were wired to and the recipient’s name(s).