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BOARDMAN -- A woman told police she lost nearly $1.8 million in a scam involving people posing as Microsoft customer service representatives and federal officers.
A Boardman police report states the woman came to the police department Thursday to report the fraud, which began in April.
She told police she was using Facebook on April 17 when her computer screen went black. A message appeared warning her not to turn off the computer and instructing her to call Microsoft for help.
She called the number and spoke to a woman who spoke English but with an accent the victim could not identify.
The woman then received a call from another person who told her someone had opened accounts in her name and rented homes using her identity. The caller said she would be transferred to the Federal Trade Commission.
The woman said a man instructed her to convert her money into gold coins to protect it.
She told police she withdrew $102,220 from her bank and purchased 202 ounces of gold coins.
She was then instructed to place the coins in a box and write her first name on the box and her last name on the tape. The caller told her an officer would meet her in a black SUV at the Walmart in Boardman to collect the gold.
The woman drove to Walmart and texted pictures to the caller to show she had arrived. She was instructed to use the code word “red” when handing over the package.
A man arrived in a black SUV and responded with the code word when she gave it to him. She handed him the package, and he left. The caller later told her the money would be transferred to the Treasury Department in her name.
The woman told police she continued speaking with the caller daily and made several more exchanges at locations in Boardman, including Walmart, Giant Eagle and Sam’s Club.
The police report states the woman provided receipts that show the transactions totaled $1,819,080.
The woman said she learned of the scam after a detective from Illinois contacted her. The detective told her investigators had found her information in a book belonging to a person arrested in connection with a scam involving several other people.
The detective advised her to report the incident to local police.
The report does not state whether any suspects have been identified or charged in connection with the scam.