A Hilton Head Island woman lost more than $60,000 in a scam.
At the end of last week, the woman received an email from who she believed to be the Geek Squad at Best Buy. The email stated her protection plan was going to renew and if she wished to cancel the renewal, she needed to call a number with an 808 area code.
Upon receiving this email, she called the number and spoke to an individual who identified himself as “Dave” with a foreign accent.
While on the phone, “Dave” stated a payment of $445 had already been processed and in order to receive a refund she would need to allow access to her computer and bank accounts via a program called “Team Viewer”. She granted “Dave” access.
Once “Dave” had control of her computer, the woman stated a pop-up appeared on her screen prompting her to enter the refund amount of $445. Once she did, “Dave” said she had mistakenly entered $45,000 and he would take care of it. An immediate wire transfer of $44,000 was made from her account. The woman said she immediately disconnected with “Dave”.
The following day, she said her investment portfolio was accessed and she was contacted again. This time, “Dave” said he’d take all of her money if she didn’t send $20,000 to an address in Battle Creek, Michigan. The woman complied and sent the cash overnight by FedEx, receiving confirmed the package had been delivered.
On Monday, the woman met with her financial institution and learned she’d been a victim of a scam.
The types of scams are avoidable. Protect yourself and your money by following these tips:
• Always verify contact information independently
• Avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in emails
• Don’t believe everything you see or hear
• Never allow someone access to your financial accounts
• Resist the pressure to act immediately
If you believe you’ve been a victim of a scam, please contact your local law enforcement agency.
