Vindictive Phone Scam Wipes Woman's Computer Files

The scenario seemed so plausible.

A Clarkstown woman told police yesterday she had received a call at about 7 p.m. April 5 from a man warning her that her computer had been hacked by Russian criminals.

Following his instructions, she gave him remote access to her computer. He then informed her that she would have pay from $3,000 to $5,000 in order to keep her files and financial information safe.

When she refused to pay, the files on her computer were all deleted. None of the data could be retrieved by Apple technicians, police said.

The phone number from which the call ostensibly came was a phony.

The victim did not lose any money, but she lost her files and her information has been compromised, police pointed out.

The Clarkstown Police Department issued this warning:

Please do not grant remote access to your computer to anyone whom you are unsure of. This can be potentially dangerous to keeping your files intact and secure. If you have been a victim of one of these fraudulent schemes please contact your local police department.