Hingham, MA - Resident falls victim to a common scam computer commonly called the "Microsoft Security Scam". 

On December 22, 2022 a 70 year old resident reported she had been scammed out of $900. She said while she was using her lap top recently she received an "alert message"  that warned her of a "security issue" detected on her computer. This "alert message" instructed her to call a phone number to resolve the issue. The resident called and was instructed to purchase several Apple and Xbox gift cards and send in the codes on the cards in order to have the virus removed.

The resident went to Walmart and purchased $900 worth of gift cards and gave the codes on the cards to the scammers. The scammers continued to call her seeking more gift cards and she realized she had been scammed. She then called police. The resident has since then turned off her computer, called her bank and credit card companies to report the possible hack into her computer and contacted a credit bureau to request a flag or additional security on her personal credit information.

This is a common scam in which the scammers instruct the person to click on a link and this unknowingly gives the scammers remote access to your computer and any banking, credit cards or other financial accounts you use on your computer. The scammers vary this scam but typically claim they are from "Microsoft Security" or the name of a specific anti-virus company. 

As a reminder, you only need to make a report to us if you are scammed out of money or of your personal information (Social Security number, banking account numbers, credit cards numbers, etc.) was given out to scammers. ### Contact P.I.O. Lt. Steven Dearth