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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - A safety warning is out for people with smart TVs, with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) saying scammers may be targeting users through their televisions.

The BBB said smart TVs are becoming a breeding ground for scams, with the organization seeing an influx of reports about people getting taken advantage of with pop-ups on their smart TVs.

Experts say the scams happen when users open a streaming service, but cannot log in. Instead, a pop-up says there is a problem and the user will need to call a number or visit a website to fix it.

The BBB said users should not do either, that scammers will insist they pay a fee or allow remote access to the TV. Both can lead to the scammer stealing information.

There are some steps users can take to avoid falling victim to such schemes, which can be found below.

Double check any fees. If users look online, they can determine whether activation or registration fees exist for various services.
Ensure the link being clicked on is a real website. A way to avoid falling for a fake site is to type the web URL directly into a browser.
Do not call a phone number before researching it. Users can find a number for customer service on a TV manufacturer website.
Do not let anyone control devices remotely. Doing so can give a stranger free reign on private information.

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