Scam costs Friendswood man thousands of dollars

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas – It's a scam that started with a simple voicemail followed by a phone call.

The scam ultimately cost a Friendswood senior citizen thousands of dollars.

The victim who was scammed said, "A little over $12,000. It even hurts me to say it."

The caller said they were looking to refund the victim $500 from a software company that was going under that he had recently purchased a product from.

But in order to do that, they needed access to his computer.

"Of course he had a code and everything, to get in the computer I had to type in the code he gave me, my computer. Which meant he was in there," said the scam victim.

Little did the victim know the scammers had also accessed his personal information and ultimately his bank account.

Something else the victim says he didn't realize, the scammers moved $5,000 from his savings into his checking account claiming they had deposited.

The victim said, "I made a mistake it's suppose to be $500, you've got to send me that $4,500 right away."

The victim was then told to purchase thousands in gift cards to send the money back to them.

And it happened more than once.

"I was scared to the point I was trembling. I felt like if I don't do what he tells me, I'm going to get wiped out," the victim said.

When the victim finally realized it was all just a big scam, he contacted authorities and froze his bank accounts, but not before being out a lot of money.

He now has a warning for others.

"They're very good at what they do and people need to be aware that this stuff is going on," the victim said.


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Galveston-born, award-winning journalist, dog owner, foodie & occasional golfer.