A single phone call happened to save a Rochester woman more than $400,000.
Mike DeMarino, the owner of Med City Coin & Bullion, became suspicious when a woman called requesting to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold.
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“She said that she wanted to buy about $400,000 in gold,” DeMarino told KTTC. “She wanted 10 oz. bars of gold, which is a big chunk. I said, ‘that’s kind of not the right way to do it.’”
That request immediately raised red flags for DeMarino. When the woman, who asked not to be named, mentioned she was acting on the advice of someone helping her with a “Microsoft issue,” DeMarino’s concern quickly turned into alarm. He immediately called the police and the authorities arrived at the woman’s home before any money or gold changed hands.
“If it wasn’t for a team effort, honestly, this young lady probably would have lost half a million dollars,” said DeMarino.
‘He had me like a prisoner’
The scam began with a pop-up window on the woman’s computer as she was browsing on Facebook. The pop-up claimed the woman’s computer had been disabled due to suspicious activity and instructed her to call a number that appeared to be a Microsoft support line.
"It said, ‘Temporarily disabled your computer for suspicious activity,’" the woman shared with KTTC.
After the woman called the phone number on the pop-up, the scammers began to establish a disturbing routine — the fake tech support agent began calling her twice a day to establish control and create a sense of fear.
“He had me like a prisoner,” said the woman. “He had set it up that he would call every morning at 10 a.m. and afternoon at 3 p.m.”
The scam escalated when a second fraudster posing as a banker at her financial institution joined the scheme, telling the woman that her financial assets were in danger. After a series of escalations — at one point, the woman says, she was told the Federal Reserve and Social Security Administration would be intervening in her case — the woman was convinced to invest in gold to protect herself and her money.
Under their direction, she contacted Med City Coin & Bullion to purchase $408,000 worth of 10-ounce gold bars. That’s when DeMarino intervened.
As the woman described the situation, DeMarino realized she was being told exactly how much gold to buy and was even warned not to tell her family. That secrecy, paired with the mention of Microsoft, was enough for him to assume the woman on the phone was being scammed.
DeMarino and local law enforcement were able to intervene just in the nick of time.
“The tears started rolling,” the woman said. “I was so relieved I had the detective there.”
DeMarino and the anonymous woman are now sharing her story in the hopes that it will prevent others from falling for elaborate scams such as this.
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How to protect yourself from similar scams
Tech-support scams often begin with a robocall, an email in your inbox or a pop-up on your computer, as was the case with this anonymous woman. In many cases, the scammers appear to be official and may even claim to be part of law enforcement.
Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself from getting scammed:
- Never dial numbers from pop-ups: Companies like Microsoft, Apple and Google will never contact you with a pop-up and ask you to call them in order to fix a tech issue.
- Don’t download anything from strangers: Remote access software tools like AnyDesk or TeamViewer can give scammers full access to your device. Do not let a stranger persuade you into downloading anything.
- Be suspicious of urgency and secrecy: If someone tells you to act fast and not speak to anyone, that’s a huge red flag.
- Verify independently: If someone claims to be from your bank or a government agency, hang up and call the institution directly using a number from their official website.
Scammers often target older adults, particularly those living alone. If you have older loved ones, try to ensure they understand the signs of these scams and check in with them frequently. For especially vulnerable adults, consider setting up a power of attorney or monitoring their accounts so you can quickly spot any fraud.
Most importantly, remind your loved ones that if anyone tells them not to talk to their family or friends, that’s a significant red flag. This woman’s willingness to tell the store owner what was happening — and his quick thinking — saved her hundreds of thousands of dollars.
If you believe you’ve become a victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately. They can provide assistance and help you take steps to protect your devices and your finances.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
