LIBERTY, Ohio (WKBN) — As the holidays draw near, the efforts of scammers increase. This is the case for a 65-year-old Liberty resident, who reported to police that she was scammed out of $7,000.
Police were called to a Liberty home Friday after the homeowner said she had been scammed out of $7,000 after following the steps of a pop-up window stating her computer had a virus.
According to reports, the woman clicked on the pop-up window and was directed to a customer service number — which she called — and customer support representative “Jessica” informed her that her bank account, as well as all personal accounts, were compromised.
The representative then instructed her to remove $7,000 through the purchase of various gift cards, including Apple Inc. gift cards, worth $500 each.
According to reports, the woman then spoke with two different people “for a few hours” who advised her she could not share these happenings with anyone, as they were part of an ongoing federal investigation.
The woman then told police that the subjects accessed her computer remotely and drained the balance of all the gift cards, after which she was no longer able to get in contact with them.
Reports say Apple Inc. has an open investigation within the company regarding the instance.