A 65-year-old Massachusetts woman was recently scammed out of $28,000 after clicking on a link while online shopping, as police warn residents about the rise in such scams.
Merrimac Police are investigating after a resident last week contacted police because she realized she had been scammed out of $28,000.
The 65-year-old woman had been online shopping when she clicked on a link and began receiving warnings that claimed to be scam alerts. Those alerts told her to call a phone number.
After calling the number, she was told to download an application, that funds had been mistakenly transferred to her bank account, and she needed to contact her bank to make arrangements to correct the error.
That downloaded application led to the scammers accessing her personal information.
Then in a series of phone calls, the scammers pretending to be from her bank convinced her to withdraw money from her bank account, go to a nearby Bitcoin ATM, and deposit a total of $28,000 to correct the alleged bank error.
She later realized that she had fallen victim to a scam and contacted police.
“Scams like these are tragic because they target and take advantage of elderly residents, who often have limited income and rely on their savings,” Merrimac Police Chief Eric Shears said in a statement.
“A key point to remember when trying to protect yourself against such scams is that few legitimate businesses will have you send payment via bitcoin, gift cards or money transfer,” Shears added.
Scammers will pressure people to act immediately and tell people to pay in a specific way, police warn.
If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best to not click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy, or look up their phone number.
“Scams like these are becoming increasingly complex, but one common part of such scams is that they seek to pressure people into quickly sending payments,” said Det. Stephen Beaulieu. “We encourage anyone receiving these types of calls or communications to slow down, take a deep breath, and reach out to friends, family members, or Merrimac Police for advice on what next steps should be.”