Keep scammers from taking control of your smart TV

HONOLULU (KHON2) — When you think of the devices in your home that could put you at risk of falling victim to a scam, you might think of your phone, tablet or laptop. But there’s at least one more screen that scammers are using to target victims – your television.

The Better Business Bureau said they received an influx of reports from consumers of it happening.

“People don’t even stop and think about their smart devices but anything that connects to the internet can open you up for someone coming in and stealing information or hacking into your other systems,” said BBB Hawaii Marketplace Manager, Roseann Freitas.

According to the BBB, scammers will create a pop-up that appears when you open a streaming service. It’ll tell you there’s a problem and you need to call a phone number or visit a website to fix it.

“If you call the number, they pretend to be that customer service representative, they say that they have to pay an activation fee or even worse allow them remote access to their smart TV,” said Freitas.

So how can you take control? One piece of advice from the BBB is to do your research and know the actual contact information of the legitimate company you’re working with.

More tips on how to avoid Smart TV scams from the BBB:

• Double-check any fees you have to pay
• Don’t fall for fake websites
• Check before you call
• Never let anyone control your device remotely

“If there’s a password associated with any of this, you want to make sure you don’t keep the manufacturer’s passwords, you always change it,” said Freitas.