Port Hope Police say a local man was recently scammed out of $500 after he allowed someone remote access to his computer.
Police say on July 23, the man received a text that his PayPal account was compromised, and a number was provided to call for help.
The man dialed the number and spoke with an alleged PayPal agent out of California, who told the local man this his account was being used in Ohio.
The man doesn’t have a PayPal account, and when he told the alleged agent that, he was then told his VISA was compromised.
The victim also did not have a VISA, but he was convinced to allow the scammer access to his laptop.
As a result, the scam artist opened a Western Union account and transferred $500 from the man’s credit card.
His wife noticed and tried to cancel the transaction, but it was too late – the money had been wired to Columbia.
Police say the fraudster even called back, demanding the man go to Walmart and buy Google Pay cards, but the couple refused.
Police are warning residents that seniors are common targets for these types of scams, and that you should never give information over the phone, never allow remote access to your computer and be wary ov scams involving the purchase of gift cards.
