Key West Reporter

The Sheriff’s Office was notified this week of a scam in which a resident lost $35,000 after allowing an unknown caller access to his computer. 

The scammer claimed he worked for a computer company sponsored by Best Buy. He stated the company accidentally sent the victim $10,000. 

The victim then gave the scammer access to his computer to the point the scammer was able to remotely control the victim’s mouse. 

The scammer then accessed the victim’s bank account and showed him an alleged transaction for $10,000. 

The scammer instructed the victim to drive to a gas station and deposit $10,000 into a Bitcoin ATM using an address given by the scammer. 

The scammer called the victim the next day and told him to do this again. 

The victim then noticed the scammer removed another $15,000 from his bank account. 

These criminals can be very convincing, often representing themselves as experts within the company they claim to be representing. 

General scam tips and reminders: 

• Never give access to your computer without first checking with the reported agency. 

• Never provide financial information to strangers over the phone.

• Never pay for money demands from unknown callers over the phone with gift cards. This is a sure sign you are getting scammed.

Residents should never give personal, monetary, or gift card information to anyone over the phone, in a text, or an email— TO ANYONE REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY CLAIM TO BE — without first checking with that person, utility, business, or government agency.

Anyone with information about any crimes should contact the Sheriff's Office at 305-292-7000. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-471-8477. If a tip leads to an arrest in the case, the caller may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips may also be submitted online at www.floridakeyscrimestoppers.com or via a text message using the smartphone app called P3 Phone. Tips can also be submitted via social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the @CrimeStoppers305 hashtag.

Original source can be found here.