East Greenwich Man Scammed Out of $6K In Computer Con: Cops

EAST GREENWICH, RI — An East Greenwich man trying to fix his mother's computer was scammed out of $6,000 by grifters posing as customer support, police said.

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The man told officers that he noticed his mother's computer was "at an extremely loud volume" and when he attempted to fix it, he "noticed that Microsoft Defender was indicating that his computer was infected," according to an East Greenwich Police Department report.

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The man called the "customer support number "and this "started a chain of events conversation during which he was informed that there was suspicious activity from a bank account for $12,600," the report said.

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"That initial conversation turned into (the man) being told that once he gave control of his computer they would work with him and his bank ... to fix the situation," the report said.

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"Eventually the fix became (the man) withdrawing $6,000 from his account, going to a Warwick Bitcoin ATM machine where he deposited $2,000 then to a Home Depot to buy $4,000 worth of gift cards and providing the caller with the numbers on the gift cards," according to the report.

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