On Friday last week, a 79-year-old man stopped by the Fairfield Glade Police Department and said he had received an email from Norton LLC for $499.99. The man said he had services with Norton before but no longer had them, and contacted Norton to advise them he no longer had the services.

He was transferred over to speak to someone else who asked him for his social security number, and his phone number and pulled up a screen where the man was to put the amount he wanted back. The scammer attempted to put 49499 without the period. The scammer who went by “Mike” told the victim he had mistakenly taken $49,499.00 from the company.

“Mike” told the victim he had put that money into his Regions bank account and showed him the amount on his Regions account, although this was likely just a manipulated display.

“Mike” stated, “Please send us that money back, I could lose my job.”

“Mike,” told the victim to go to Regions Bank and tell them he needed to take out that money for a 2017 Ford truck.

The victim went to Regions to wire $49,499.00 to BMO bank to an account.

The victim showed Deputy Fatima Pena the document he filled out for the transaction.

When a representative with Regions asked the victim if this was a scam, he told her no it was money he was sending for a truck.

After he did this, he informed his daughter who told him this was all a scam. The man said he believed it was a scam but should not be out any money.

Deputy Pena explained to the victim that when he sent that money there was no money put in his account to begin with. The money he sent was his money. She then told the victim they had spoofed his screen when showing him his account to make it appear they put money in his account, but they didn’t.

Deputy Pena said this is how scammers convince people to send them money and advised the man he would have to contact his bank to let them know about the incident and get a new bank account.

His daughter stated they would not stop calling the victim since he sent the money. Saying they hadn’t received the money.

Pena advised the victim it was all part of the scam, so he would continue sending more money.

Pena would file her report on the issue, and the victim would head to the bank to tell them what happened.