On  September 17th, Deputy Morgan Alvarez responded to the lobby in request of an officer’s investigation. Alvarez made contact with a woman who stated that her Facebook account had been hacked.

She stated she called a Facebook customer-service phone number that transferred her to a “Michael” at phone number 210-469-5430, which the woman stated had an Indian accent. No other information on “Michael” was obtained.

“Michael,” told her that all of her information was online and that a multitude of fraudulent purchases and funds were being stolen and held from her, and said he had to have access to her Region’s Bank accounts and bills to “secure” them and to stop the fraudulent theft from occurring.

She gave “Michael” access to her phone and computer and stated that he “hacked” into everything electronic she possessed. She is believed
to have downloaded the AnyDesk Remote Desktop app and consistently gave “Michael” the code to share her information, most likely without knowing the implications or process behind this.

“Michael” stated that to return the money, he would routinely deposit the fraudulently stolen funds back into her account, where she must then go purchase pre-paid Apple cards and give him the information on the cards. The victim stated that he had deposited an excess of funds into her account to the extent that Regions Bank refused her service and closed her account after owing the victim an estimated $40,000, which Region’s Bank paid her. With these funds, she then opened an account at First National Bank of TN and continued the process.

She gained a substantial amount of money through these transactions, but she stated that at least $60,000 is in a BitCoin account in her name, to which “Michael” has exclusive access.
The victim provided Deputy Alvarez with her bank statements, who advised her to delete the apps on her cellular device but was adamant about wiping her devices completely through Staples, deleting all history and her contact information.