By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR — A 63-year-old woman was swindled out of $3,500 on Aug. 14 by a telephone con artist who convinced her that a refund was over-deposited to her bank account and they needed her to refund the difference by purchasing gift cards and providing the card identification numbers.
The victim said she initially received an email from “the Geek Squad,” after which she called a phone number provided in the email to cancel her supposed subscription, which set the con in motion.
She was directed to purchase $3,500 in gift cards from three different stores. After she shared the gift card numbers, she realized, upon reflection, that she had been scammed.
Her financial institution then advised her to file a police report as a prelude to an investigation.