Nez Perce County Sheriffs Office
LEWISTON – On Wednesday, January 5, the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office was alerted of a scam that occurred. A citizen was contacted via email by scammers posing as employees of Norton, an anti-virus company.
They told the victim that there was an issue with his Internet anti-spyware program. The victim tried paying them three hundred dollars but was charged thirty thousand by them via wire transfer. They claimed the transfer didn’t go through and ran it a couple more times. While they claimed to be trying to fix computer errors, the victim gave the scammers his bank information and gave the scammers permission to access his account.
The victim also mailed cash to the scammers at addresses in Las Vegas and New York. In total, a hundred and five thousand dollars was lost. Communication was done with the scammers via text.
The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to not trust suspicious emails. Scammers will use the names of reputable companies to commit their crimes. If you are contacted via email and or text by what appears to be a legitimate company, go to their website and use the number listed there to verify that they have business with you. Never click on links sent to you via email or text from people you don’t know, that’s how third parties gain access to your information.
If you are sent a link from someone you know, and a log-on…
