Computer Tech Scam Victimizes Darien Resident For $9,000: Police

DARIEN, CT — A Darien woman lost $9,000 last week after she fell victim to a technology scam in which she unwittingly allowed a thief to gain access to her bank account through her computer, according to police.

The theft was reported on Oct. 24 after the victim told police that she had "received a call from a male who indicated he worked for a subsidiary of Microsoft, and that his company owed her money as a reimbursement for computer software she had purchased."

This caller instructed the victim to download a software program called "Any Desk," which he told her would allow him to "guide her through" the process to obtain her reimbursement.

"The caller used the downloaded program to connect to the victim’s computer," wrote Darien in a statement, adding that an investigation into the incident is underway. "As he was explaining to her how the money would be transferred, he was moving monies within her bank accounts to make it look as if a deposit had been made. The caller stated he would be over-depositing, and that she would need to refund him $9,000. The victim went to her bank and withdrew the $9000 she believed had been deposited by the caller. She then deposited the money into the account specified by the caller.

"After reviewing her account, the victim realized no deposit had ever been made to her account and she had deposited her own money into the caller’s account."

Darien police offer the following advice to avoid such scams:

Many of the computer/phone scams that the department investigates involve some sort of overpayment/reimbursement transaction between the scammer and victim. The scammer “overpays” the victim (in a variety of methods) and requires the victim to reimburse them the overpayment. The money that the victim reimburses ends up being their own money. If someone is approached with this overpayment/reimbursement scenario, they should consider that this is not normal business practice and proceed with caution.

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