Berkeley Woman Bilked Out Of $1,200 In Microsoft Fraud, Police Chief Says

A South Trenton Avenue woman is out $1,200 after she was scammed by a man representing himself as a sales representative from Microsoft, Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele said.

Patrolman Warren Black responded to to the home at 6:46 p.m. on July 27 on a fraud report. The victim told police she had received a call from a man named Jack Wilson, who told her he was a Microsoft sales representative, the chief said.

Wilson told the victim that her yearly subscription was over on her laptop computer and that she could renew her subscription for life for $400. He told her to purchase gift cards and give him the serial number on the back of the card for payment.

The woman unfortunately bought a $400 gift card and gave the caller the serial numbers. She then received another call from someone who said his name was Richard Johnson, who told her that her first payment had been accidentally transferred into another account, DiMichele said.

Johnson told the woman he would refund the money, but that she needed to buy more gift cards and give him the serial numbers. The victim bought another gift card and gave him the serial numbers. Johnson then called her back and said the money had not transferred properly, so the victim bought a third $400 gift card, the chief said.

Johnson told her he was going to mail her a check for $2,000 for the inconvenience, but that she would have to send him money from her checking account first. The victim then realized she was being scammed and called police, DiMichele said.

"Anyone receiving these calls should not disclose personally identifying information, should not send money or other forms of payment, and should not follow any other instructions pertaining to transferring personal finances," the chief said.

Photo: Patch file photo.