New ‘Pornography Scam’ Exposed by Hudson Valley Police

Police in the lower Hudson Valley are issuing a warning after a scam reportedly cost a local resident more than $20,000 in cash.

From posing as police officers to paving jobs that are too good to be true, it's an unfortunate reality that scammers across the Hudson Valley (and the country at large) continue to find creative ways to separate unsuspecting victims from their money.

Scam in Westchester, NY Targets Residents with Fake Pornography Claims

Recently, police in Yorktown Heights, NY took to social media to warn of a recent scam that used a high level of technology as well as a criminal posing as a federal official to lower their victim's defenses.

Read More: The Best Way to Spot a Scammer in the Hudson Valley 

Computer Scam in Yorktown Heights, NY

The crime, which police described succinctly as a "computer scam", involves a manufactured pop-up on the victim's computer which falsely alerted them to the presence of child pornography on their computer.

Scam in Westchester County Involves a Fake FCC Official

In this specific instance, police say that the pop-up included a phone number that connected the victim to a criminal posing as an official with the Federal Communications Commission. From there, further manipulation is used to convince the mark to part with a large sum of money (below).

Scam Targets Westchester County, NY Victim for More Than $20,000

As with many high-level scams, the criminals orchestrating the ruse often have answers for nearly every scenario. As police described, the scammers walked the victim through steps to withdraw money from their bank in order to "remove" the alleged pornography:

The scammer falsely verifies to the victim that there is child pornography on the computer and that the cost for removal will be in excess of $20,000 cash. The victim is provided with specific instructions on withdrawing cash funds from their bank, specifically telling bank employees if asked about the large withdrawal that the funds are needed for a home improvement project.

Police are now asking residents near the area of the victim's home to check security footage for a suspect they describe as an Asian male who arrived at the victim's address by foot to retrieve the payment.

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Many scams use both a sense of urgency as well as secrecy to succeed. Review the list below to keep scammers at a safe distance and always contact local police if you suspect you could be the victim of a crime.