Darien Resident Falls Victim To Computer Scam: Police

DARIEN, CT — Police said a Darien woman wired "large" amounts of money after falling victim to a computer scam.

On Nov. 3, a woman reported to police that she was a victim of computer fraud.

The woman said she received a Microsoft fraud alert message on her home computer the day before, and she called the number associated with the alert and spoke with someone who claimed to work for Microsoft, police said in a news release.

The woman was told that her bank accounts were compromised and she was transferred to the "Webster Bank Fraud Unit," police said.

Someone purporting to be a Webster Bank employee told the woman she needed to wire money out of the account to protect the account from fraud, police noted.

"The victim went to Webster Bank and wired a large amount of money to the account provided by the fraudsters. After the transfer, the victim asked if her other bank account was compromised also, which they told her it was," police said. "The victim wired another large amount of money from her other bank account to the fraudsters."

Police did not specify how much money the woman wired. An investigation is ongoing.

Residents can report fraud or scams to police, or to the Federal Trade Commission.