Every day people get scammed out of their hard earned money and it's getting harder and harder to keep track of the different types of scams are.

FBI Cleveland and Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is now advising there is another scam people need to be aware about, this time, its a scam disguised as a computer hack.

"We have to constantly be on guard against scammers," Garrity said. "I urge everyone to be extremely cautious when receiving unsolicited texts, phone calls, or emails which could lead scammers straight to your bank account - and to think twice before providing any personal information. If you are at all suspicious that someone may be trying to scam you, call your financial institution directly."

Dubbed "The Phantom Hacker," scammers are impersonating technology, banking and government officials in a guise to convince older victims that foreign hackers have stolen their money.

They instruct a victim to move their money to a "protect" U.S. Government account to protect their assets but in reality, that account is controlled by the criminal running the ruse.

"These scammers are cold and calculated. They are targeting older members of our communities in Northern Ohio and across the nation, who are particularly mindful of potential risks to their life savings. The criminals are using the victims' own attentiveness against them," said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen. "By educating the public about this alarming new scam, we hope to get ahead of these scammers and prevent any further victimization."

According to the FBI, here's how it works so you can prevent it in the future:

Step 1 - Tech Support Imposter: scammer posing as customer support representative from a legitimate technology company initiates contact with the victim through a phone call, text, email, or a pop-up window on their computer and instructs the victim to call a number for "assistance."

Once the victim calls the phone number, a scammer directs the victim to download a software program allowing the scammer remote access to the victim's computer. The scammer pretends to run a virus scan on the victim's computer and falsely claims the victim's computer either has been or is at risk of being hacked.

Next, the scammer requests the victim open their financial accounts to determine whether there have been any unauthorized charges - a tactic to allow the scammer to determine which financial account is most lucrative for targeting. The scammer informs the victim they will receive a call from that financial institution's fraud department with further instructions.

Step 2 - Financial Institution Imposter: a scammer, posing as a representative of the financial institution mentioned above, like a bank or a brokerage firm, contacts the victim.

The scammer tells the victim their computer and financial accounts have been accessed by a foreign hacker and the victim must move their money to a "safe" third-party account, such as an account with the Federal Reserve or another U.S. Government agency.

The victim is directed to transfer money via a wire transfer, cash or wire conversion to cryptocurrency, often directly to overseas recipients. The victim is also told not to inform anyone of the real reason they are moving their money. The scammer may instruct the victim to send multiple transactions over a span of days or months.

Step 3 - U.S. Government Imposter: the victim may be contacted by a scammer posing as the Federal Reserve or another U.S. Government agency. If the victim becomes suspicious, the scammer may send an email or a letter on what appears to be official U.S. Government letterhead to legitimize the scam.

The scammer will continue to emphasize the victim's funds are "unsafe" and they must be moved to a new "alias" account for protection until the victim concedes.

Victims often suffer the loss of entire banking, savings, retirement, and investment accounts under the guise of "protecting" their assets.

To combat this, the FBI advises not to click on unsolicited pop-up links sent by text or emails. Ignore any direction to call numbers provided in these messages and don't download any software at the request of someone you do not personally know.

Also, do not allow an unknown individual who contacted you to have control of your computer.

The US Government will never request you send money to them via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards.