Victim loses nearly $30K to scammer

VERMILION TWP. — A Vermilion Township resident recently fell victim to a tech support scam. On Sept. 1, a deputy was called to a home in the 4900 block of Ohio 60. The resident told the deputy they got a virus notification on their computer on Aug. 28. The resident then searched the internet for a computer repair service and believed they found the phone number for a reputable service that is affiliated with a big box store. When the resident called, instead of being connected to the repair business, the call went to a scammer, according to an Erie County Sheriff's Office report. The person who answered told the resident that someone had hacked their computer and attempted to take out a loan in their name. The scammer, who identified herself as Rita, told the victim that they would need to withdraw $10,000 from the bank and transfer it to Rita via Bitcoin and gift cards. On Aug. 30, the victim reportedly sent the maximum $2,999 via a Bitcoin machine. They then bought gift cards with the remaining $7,000 and sent photos of the front and back to Rita via an email. The next day, Rita purportedly contacted the victim and said she would need another $10,000 "due to issues trying to recover all of (their) information," the report states. The victim again sent the machine maximum via Bitcoin and the rest in gift cards. Once the victim sent the second $10,000, Rita asked for more money. The victim reportedly sent more than $9,600 via two credit card transactions. While on the phone with Rita during these last two transactions, the victim mentioned they might call the police. Rita reportedly told the victim not to call the police or the bank or Rita would no longer be able to help the victim recover her information. After the call, the victim called their bank and discovered no one had attempted to take out a loan, the report states. At that point, the victim called the sheriff's office. Scams cost millions Nearly 18,000 people fell victim to tech support scams in 2022, according to the FBI. Those victims lost more than $500 million combined. That works out to an average of more than $27,000 per victim. Locally, about 50 Erie County residents lost more than $2.4 million via scams and other forms of exploitation and theft in 2021, according to a report by Erie County elder abuse investigator Dan McLaughlin. "One thing we have noticed is scammers tend to prey on those they think are vulnerable," said Heidi Turner Stone, section chief with Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services, during a September 2022 seminar at ElderCollege. "Gift cards and Bitcoin are harder for law enforcement to track," said Steve Snyder, U.S. Secret Service special agent. "We can see where a gift card is used, but getting video of the person using it and then identifying that person can be difficult." If you believe you are dealing with a scammer on a phone call, the Federal Trade Commission urges you to simply hang up.