Lincoln Man Loses Thousands of Dollars To Computer Scam

LINCOLN–(KFOR Feb. 28)–A 74-year-old Lincoln man is out thousands of dollars, after he fell victim to a computer scam.

Lincoln Police Captain Todd Kocian on Monday said the victim turned on his computer and found a pop-up window notifying him his bank account had been “hacked” and gave a phone number to call.  The victim called the number and was instructed to transfer money to a new account, and additionally to grant remote access to his computer to the rep from “Microsoft” he was speaking to.

The person claiming to be from Microsoft ultimately assisted the victim in establishing a new bank account and transferring over $210,000 into the new account.  Kocian says the scammer had access to the newly established account and took the entire amount of the transferred funds. The fraudster specifically advised the victim not to discuss the transfer with anyone.

Captain Kocian said their investigation is ongoing and anyone with information  is encouraged to call Lincoln Police at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.  Kocian says LPD advises anyone receiving a similar message to contact their financial institution for verification and guidance.