YPSILANTI, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Ypsilanti woman narrowly avoided losing more than $80,000 to an online scam after a fake Microsoft pop-up appeared on her laptop.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report:
According to Pew Research, 73% of U.S. adults have experienced some type of online scam. Jacqueline Mente' almost became part of that statistic this past Tuesday.
"It can happen to anybody, you don’t have to be a senior," Mente' said.
Mente' opened her laptop and was met with an unusual message on her screen.
"It said Microsoft, don’t turn off your computer," Mente' said.
Full interview: Senior explains almost being scammed out of nearly $80K
Mente' said there was a number on the screen that appeared to be associated with Microsoft, which she called immediately. The person on the phone told her to go to PayPal and pay a fee. She thought the fee would be around $729, but then she saw the number go up to more than $80,000.
"Right away, I said I’m going to the bank," Mente' said.
At the bank, a teller told Mente' the people on the phone were scammers, not Microsoft representatives.
"The bank was wonderful, they said, don’t worry, we’ve cut off everything, and so they saved me," Mente' said.
After leaving the bank, Mente' went to Jafferson Computers in Ypsilanti to see owner Mateen Jaffer. He explained how the scammers gained access to her laptop.
"We see a program called screen connect, and that’s a very particular program, and that’s not easy to find; that program allows the scammers to remotely connect without anyone knowing that you’re connected," Jaffer said.
Jaffer said if you see something unusual on your computer screen, the best thing to do is shut it off. He also recommends keeping your laptop or computer systems up to date.
"When you see a screen that has a number to call, don’t call them, call your friends or support person," Jaffer said.
Meanwhile, Mente' said she hopes her story prevents others from falling victim to similar scams.
"I learned my lesson," Mente' said.
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