ATLANTA — Computer pop-up messages can look serious.
The fact is most are only designed to make you believe your security is compromised, when they are actually scam artists trying to steal your private information.
Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard warns once these crooks get control of your computer they can do serious damage.
Apple customer David Savage knows first-hand.
The pop-up message he saw warning him his computer was compromised looked legitimate to him.
"The message said, essentially, warning your computer has been attacked by a malicious virus. Do not turn your computer off. Call the number at Apple below and speak to someone who can deal with this situation." he explained.
David called the number provided and gave who he thought was Apple Care remote access to his computer.
They told him they were unable to make the required fixes and put David in touch with another company, a company they claimed Apple worked with.
"One of the things that I needed to understand was I could be charged for the service." Savage recalled
He agreed to the $400 charge and they told him his computer was fixed.
When his wife Karin called the company to report another problem, they claimed to have fixed it again.
It wasn't until they called back that Karin became suspicious. They told her the program they used was no longer compatible with her computer and she needed to provide them with her bank account number to receive a refund.
"At that point I said no that's a scam. And the guy said no, no, no ma'am that's not a scam that's a bad word. So I was like no I'm not opening up my computer and you're not getting into my bank account." said Karin
She hung up and called Apple directly.
"Apple said that they don't do the pop-up windows, that they would e-mail, and then you would call them." she said
Karin called her credit card company and they removed the charges.
Now David and Karin want other to be wary of any pop-up messages.
"When I saw the window on the computer that looked like a legitimate Apple window and when I made the call to the number to that they suggested I call, that sounded like Apple as well. I mean basically they said they were Apple. So they had it set up to make you think you're talking to Apple," said David.