A 73-year-old Imperial woman lost $10,000 in a scam claiming there was a problem with her Apple ID. The incident happened on Feb. 24, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The woman told authorities she received an email that appeared to be from Apple Customer Support and said her ID had been locked and she needed to verify her identity before it was permanently disabled. The woman followed a link in the email and filled out a contact information form, the report said.
Then, a man who said his name was Sam Blaze and claimed to be from Apple’s Hacking Prevention Division called her and asked her to log into her computer and install a program that gave him remote access to her computer, according to the report.
The man then asked the woman to buy gift cards to send to him, but she refused. However, the man replied that he had already taken her money, the report said.
The woman provided authorities with the transaction history, showing the money was taken from her account at 7:43 p.m. Feb. 24 and transferred to an unknown online account, according to the report.
Grant Bissell, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said there had not been reports of similar scams in the area. However, he warned people to be cautious when dealing with unsolicited emails and phone calls.
“We’d ask people to be very careful with unsolicited emails, private messages and texts,” Bissell said. “Phishing attempts are very common and try to mimic online companies, banks and just about anything else you may be connected to digitally. They almost always try to prey on your fear that your account may be compromised or shut down.
“If you get one of these messages, don’t just click on the link included. Instead, contact the company or institution directly and ask if there’s a problem with your account. It may be a hassle and take some time, but at least you’ll know the truth. And if it’s a phishing attempt, that company can note it and warn other customers.”