Police Say Fake Microsoft Tech Support Cost Washington Woman More Than $180,000

Posted

Yakima police are warning residents about scams that have cost two victims thousands of dollars.

In one scam, in which a Yakima woman lost more than $180,000 from her bank accounts, a phone caller claimed to be from Microsoft and needed access to her computer to remove a virus, police spokesman Mike Bastinelli said.

Once access to a computer is gained, scammers can make withdrawals from bank accounts, which happened to the Yakima woman, Bastinelli said.

"They prey on elderly people and people who are not computer savvy," Bastinelli said.

Microsoft, Bastinelli said, does not cold-call people to warn them about computer viruses.



In another scam, con artists are altering legitimate online ads for rental property, putting their own phone numbers on instead of the real estate agents, whose name remains on the ad, Bastinelli said.

Unsuspecting people are then told that the landlord is out of town, and to secure the property people need to wire them the first and last month's rent, Bastinelli said.

A 22-year-old woman in Yakima recently lost $1,100 to the scam, Bastinelli said.

To protect themselves, prospective renters should insist on an in-person visit with the agent, or to look up the agent's office from another source and call them, Bastinelli said.

He also advised to never wire money, as it is then almost impossible to trace.