Police in St. Thomas, Ont., are investigating after they say an 83-year-old man was scammed out of $27,000.
So far, investigators say it appears that the man’s computer was “infected with ransomware after he either opened a bad attachment or clicked a bad link” in an email.
“The fraudsters used the malware to freeze the victim’s computer and then pose as his anti-virus provider looking to offer him a refund,” police said in a release.
Get daily National news
“The man provided his banking info and was then taken in further by the scheme.”
Police say those responsible for the scam then claimed to have made a mistake and refunded “an exorbitant amount of money” to the victim and told him he needed to return that money immediately in the form of cash by withdrawing three separate amounts of money and couriering it to an address in Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Bomb threat prompted more visible police presence at Edmonton Pride parade
- Vancouver woman says she’s disappointed random assault suspect already released
- Dual U.S.-Canada citizen arrested in Ucluelet, wanted for lewd conduct with a minor
- Manning teen arrested after school shooting threat made in northern Alberta town
The man did as instructed but then discovered the “refund” was gone after he had sent the cash.
Police have not said whether or not the man has been able to retrieve any of his money. The investigation is ongoing.
Comments
Comments closed.
Due to the sensitive and/or legal subject matter of some of the content on globalnews.ca, we reserve the ability to disable comments from time to time.
Please see our Commenting Policy for more.