Scammers are stealing personal information with online document converters, FBI warns
Victims may not realize their information has been stolen or malware has been downloaded on their devices after using free online document conversion tools.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver Field Office is warning that free websites used for converting or combining documents could be scams that steal personal information and download malware onto users’ computers.
There have been increased reports of people in the Denver area being scammed by websites offering to convert the format of a document, turn individual documents into one file, or download MP3 or MP4 files, according to a March 7 press release.
Victims may not know they are being scammed because the online tool will complete the conversion task, and scrape the documents for their information. The converted documents also may contain malware that infects the computer when that document is opened, the release stated.
These websites can steal personal information such as:
- Social security numbers, dates of birth, and phone numbers;
- Banking and cryptocurrency information;
- Email addresses; and
- Passwords.
People can avoid being scammed by being aware of personal online risks, having up-to-date virus-scanning software on devices, and scanning any files for malware before opening them on personal devices, the FBI stated.
Anybody who believes they are victims of one of these scams should contact their financial institution; change their passwords using a clean, trusted device; and run up-to-date virus scan software on their devices. People can also take their computers to professionals who specialize in removing viruses and malware.
People who suspect they are victims of these scams can file a report with the FBI Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
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