The St. Thomas Police are warning the public after a 83 year old resident was recently scammed out of $27,000. Police say that it appears that the man’s computer was infected with ransomware after he either opened a bad attachment or clicked a bad link that was received via email.
The fraudsters then used the malware to freeze the victim’s computer and then pose as his anti virus provider looking to offer him a refund. The man provided his banking information when the fraudsters then claimed to have made a mistake and substantially refunded an exorbitant amount of money to the man which he needed to return immediately in the form of cash.
The man was instructed to withdraw three separate amounts of money and courier the cash to an address in Newfoundland. The man obliged with the request only to discover the refund had already been withdrawn after he sent the cash.
To learn more about scams and how they can be prevented, you can click here.
