A woman from Westminster is alerted by warning messages on her computer that "her IP address has been hacked." It tells her to call a number and she is greeted by a person claiming to be from "Microsoft headquarters," who conspires to steal $37K from her in an "imposter scam."
According to the FTC data on the Consumer Sentinel Network, Americans lost more than $2.7 billion in "imposter scams" in 2023. These are scams where an unsuspecting person is duped by a scammer posing as an official or representative of a company.
A Colorado woman shared her recent experience with a scammer to try and warn others before it's too late.
Westminster Colorado Woman Believes 'Imposter Scammer'
KUSA 9News reported on Thursday that Diana Peltier from Westminster, Colorado received a troubling message on her computer, warning her that her "IP address had been hacked." The warning alert provided a phone number for her to call and looked very similar to the image on the screen below.
She trusted the information on the screen and called the phone number where she was greeted by a man claiming to be from Microsoft headquarters, who sounded "calm and assuring," who told her "they were going to take care of her. They are going to be certain that I'm going to be OK."
The scammer told her to click on a link, which downloaded remote software onto her computer, which allowed him to take "complete control" over her computer.
That's when he told Peltier that he could "see her accounts were being hacked." He then offered to connect her to her bank's fraud department.
Peltier Was Transferred to 'Bank Fraud Department'
Peltier was transferred to a woman named "Allison with US Bank" who was soft-spoken and calming her down, telling her to "breathe," while continuing to emphasize her accounts were hacked.
Peltier was then instructed to go to her bank and withdraw her money from her "hacked" bank account and to deposit it into a "safe place" and the safest nearby place to deposit her money was the nearest Bitcoin ATM at a liquor store.
That's where Peltier deposited the $37,000 she removed from her bank account, just as she had been coached to do by scammers.
She said:
"Within four hours, it was all over with. It was all gone." -Diane Peltier, Colorado scam victim
In hindsight she regrets it.
She said:
"I should have hung up with everybody. I should have unplugged the computer. I wasn't thinking right. I wasn't thinking right. I wasn't thinking clearly." -Diane Peltier, Colorado scam victim
Now, it is unlikely Peltier will ever see her money lost in this scam.
Always remember: Banks and officials will never ask for payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency.
Help protect friends and family by liking and sharing this article with others so they can be informed about this type of scam.
Sources
Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Sentinel Network.
Iacurci, Greg. "How to avoid the top scam of 2023: The internet has ‘really supercharged’ it, expert says." CNBC. 15 February 2024.
Staegar, Steve and Anna Hewson. "Colorado woman loses $37,000 in phantom hacker scam." KUSA 9News. 7 March 2024.
