99-Year-Old Nearly Victim of Computer Scam

HINGHAM, MA - A 99-year-old man was nearly scammed this week before realizing the scheme.

Around midday Wednesday, the resident reported the scam to the Hingham Police Department which involved his computer.

The resident told police when he turned his computer on, it appeared to be frozen and received a message that his computer needed to be repaired, along with a customer service number to fix the problem.

The resident called the number and after following the directions given to him, the computer appeared to be fixed.

The man was then told that he would be charged about $1,000 for the assistance and was asked for his banking account/credit card information. It was then the man realized he was involved in a scam and stopped giving information.

The scammer told him they would be sending FedEx to his house to pick up the check he owed them.

A short time later, a FedEx employee came to the front of the gated community, explaining he was scheduled to pick up a package from the man’s home.

After FedEx talked to an officer, it was discovered that scammers hacked into an actual FedEx account to schedule a pick up at the man’s house.

Police say they have seen a similar scam before, which allows scammers to access a computer remotely and demand payment to fix the problem. The scammers typically ask for a GreenDot Money card, credit card or other payment over the phone, according to police.

This is the first time Hingham police have seen a FedEx pickup scheduled.

While the computer will need to be repaired, police say the man did not lose any money.