CLAYTON – An elderly Johnston County resident lost $8,000 after a hacker took control of their computer. The incident was recently reported to law enforcement.
The 72 year-old victim said he was on his computer when a popup screen appeared. The message claimed to be an urgent alert from a software company. He was instructed to call a number and provide remote access to the scammer, pretending to be with Microsoft, so they could stop a computer virus.
Instead, the scammer took over the computer and demanded $8,000 before they would relinquish control. Unfortunately, the victim obtained $8,000 in prepaid cards and provided the card numbers.
Even after paying the large sum of money, the scammers never relinquished control of the victim’s computer. The victim had to take it to a computer repair shop for assistance. The $8,000 was not recovered.
All these scammers will rot in HE double toothpicks.