After a Bowie County citizen was duped out of thousands of dollars the Bowie County Sheriff’s office is warning citizens to beware of online scammers and offers some safety tips.
Press Release:
A Bowie County citizen was duped out of several thousands of dollars this week in a computer scam. This individual was contacted by someone who called himself “Victor” claiming to be with Microsoft. Victor told this person that their computer had a virus and they needed to grant him access to their computer to remove the problem. Once he was granted access, Victor was able gain access to all of the banking information contained this person’s computer. Victor requested payment for repairing the victim’s computer in the form of three $100 iTunes gift cards. After being given the information from these cards, Victor claimed two of them did not work. He requested three additional $100 iTunes gift cards be purchased. This was also done and Victor was given the information off of the cards. Victor informed the victim that he had reimbursed her checking account for the amount of the gift cards. However, he claimed to have mistakenly deposited $6000 instead of $600 in the victim’s account and asked her to check it. The victim checked and was able to see a deposit of $6000, but failed to notice this money had been moved from her savings to her checking account by Victor. The victim was asked to purchase a $5000 Best Buy gift card to refund Victor the amount he alleged to have accidently deposited in the victim’s account. The victim did as asked before realizing how Victor had scammed her. The Bowie County Sheriff’s Office reminds all citizens to be very cautious when contacted by someone you do not know about a problem you did not know you had. It is best not to do business with someone you did not contact or know anything about. It is also very important to protect your personal information. Our computers, tablets, and cellular devices all contain an abundance of information that thieves would love to have access to. This information can be used to scam you or steal your identity. Please keep your information safe by not allowing people you do not know access to your devices.
