Fraud avoided
Police officials are crediting an “alert patron” at a coffee shop with intervening after recognizing a senior may be falling victim to the Microsoft computer scam.
Wellington County OPP was contacted by a woman who overheard a man speaking on his phone and offering a sum of money to have his computer fixed.
“The male had his laptop with him and seemed to be having trouble with it,” police stated in a press release. “The patron tried to speak with the male regarding her concerns then called the OPP.”
Police were able to locate the man at his home in Centre Wellington and discovered that he was in the process of paying money to have his computer “fixed” by someone claiming to be from Microsoft.
“It was quickly established that the person on the phone was not from Microsoft and (the) OPP assisted in ending the communication,” police stated.
The OPP is asking anyone suspicious of a possible fraud to contact police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or www.antifraudcentre.ca.
