Scammers conned a Lincoln man out of just over $210,000.
On February 22nd, a 74 year old man told Lincoln Police he turned on his computer and saw a pop-up window notifying him his bank account had been hacked. He was given a phone number to call.
The man called the number and was told he needed to set up a new bank account and transfer money and give remote access to his computer to the person claiming to be a representative from Microsoft. That person helped the victim in establishing a new bank account and transferred over $210,000 into the new account. The scammer had access to the newly established account and took the entire amount of transferred funds.
The fraudster also told the victim not to discuss the transfer with anyone.
Captain Max Hubka says, “This is a good lesson for all citizens to remember to be extra cautious while on the internet and be aware of how your bank contacts you. This number was not a local phone number and there appears to have been some red flags that were missed. Be extra cautious as we see this frequently where suspects will prey on victims, especially older individuals who may not be as familiar with the internet in an attempt to try to coerce them into wiring money or sending gift cards as part of fraudulent act.”
It appears that some of the funds were transferred into crypto currency and that is difficult to track. That will complicate the investigation.