74-Year-Old Woman Scammed Over $39,000 In Tech Support Fraud
FOUR OAKS — A Four Oaks woman lost more than $39,000 in a sophisticated scam after being tricked by a fake computer error message.
The scam occurred last month when the 74-year-old victim was using her computer and received a pop-up error message that appeared to be from Microsoft. The message claimed there was a serious issue and directed her to call a listed phone number for help.
When she called the number, the person on the line falsely told her that illegal child pornography had been downloaded onto her computer and that her personal information was at risk.
Convinced that she needed to act quickly to resolve the situation, the woman was instructed to send thousands of dollars in Bitcoin to the scammers. She made multiple payments totaling $39,182.
It was only later that the woman realized she had been the victim of a scam and contacted local authorities.
Tech support scams often target elderly individuals. Scammers typically use fear tactics and impersonate well-known companies like Microsoft, Apple, or antivirus providers to gain access to a victim’s money or personal information.
Never trust pop-up warnings that urge you to call a tech support number. Do not allow remote access to your computer from someone who contacts you unexpectedly. Never send money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency to someone you don’t know — especially under pressure. Hang up immediately if a caller claims you’ve been hacked, committed a crime, or must pay to “fix” your computer. Report any suspected scam to your local law enforcement agency.
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How many times do articles like these need to be posted before people realize that paying any bill with bitcoin is a scam. REALLY!!!! Microsoft just like the IRS is not going to call you for anything.
These “pop-up” scams have been going on for at least a decade (probably a lot longer!). I will say this as long as I need to:
THE SCAMMERS WILL NOT STOP UNTIL EVERYBODY STOPS FALLING FOR THEIR SCAMS!
Please people, educate yourselves about scams, then educate everybody you know about them also. Our laws won’t stop them, most of them are in India, Nigeria, Jamaica, The Philippines…..and the list keeps growing! We have to protect ourselves and our people, and the best way is with knowledge.
Enough is enough, you have to have lived under a rock to be this stupid. They can have anything I got ,but they got to pick it up in person !
Always remember a new computer cost less than 1000$, it would be better off throwing the infected one away and buy another than trying to fix yours by phone.
Scariest thing about these kinds of stories… these people vote! We need to reinstate intelligence tests for voters.
People need to stop blaming the victim. This person is 74 years old. There very well could be a mental function issue going on. Elderly people who live alone need to have a trusted family member/individual overseeing their finances and their health….and any other important issues because people who are not capable of handling things like this are the best targets for scams.
People…….stop blaming the victim. This is a 74 year old person who more than likely has a cognitive issue. That is why the elderly are the perfect targets for scams…….many of them have a functioning deficit and that is why they are easily scammed. The same thing happened to my mother. This is why elderly people should have a trusted family member or friend or individual overseeing the important things in their life.