INDIANAPOLIS — You’ve seen the box on websites asking you to click on pictures of traffic lights or crosswalks to verify you’re not a robot.
It’s called CAPTCHA.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, scammers are using realistic looking, fake CAPTCHA pages to scam people.
Here’s how you can tell if it’s a scam.
You click the box and receive an error message, asking you to press a specific sequence of keys (like the Windows Key+ R, then Ctrl + V) to “fix” the issue.
That’s a red flag.
By following those steps you’re actually telling your computer to:
- Open a hidden command box
- Paste in a “script” or a set of invisible instructions
- Run that script, which downloads a virus onto your computer
"It gives you very explicit directions on what keys to push in what order, but when you do that, you're actually downloading some malware on to your machine and it's now going to feed all the information from your machine to the bad guys,” James Lee, president of the Identity Theft Resource Center told WRTV Investigates.
Lee told WRTV Investigates they’re seeing the scam pop up on both legitimate websites as well as fake websites.
If you fall for it, act immediately.
"First thing is disconnect your computer from the internet,” said Lee. “So if you're on WiFi turn off the WiFi, if you've got a wire connected to your computer unplug the wire."
Also, run anti-virus software on your device and change your passwords using a different device than the one that was compromised.
Have you fallen victim to this scam or any other scam? Contact WRTV Investigates at Kara.Kenney@WRTV.com
