Seniors and scams: bedmates made in heaven for one; made in hell for the other. Recently, Edna C. of Kentucky shared her story of a scam that she fell prey to. Unlike many seniors who hide behind the curtain when their truth about being scammed could help someone else, Edna came to us wanting to share her account as a warning to other readers. Her story is told largely in her own words.
"It was a Saturday afternoon in April, and I was in a hurry. I needed to print the minutes from last month's church board meeting to bring with me the next day. Nothing complicated. I opened the Word document, read it over, and hit print.
That's when the message popped up: 'printer not online.'
I had a new laptop, just a couple months old. My printer was newer too. Both Hewlett Packard. I even had a subscription with them for ink, paper, and support, so I figured I was covered. I called the support number.
I explained what happened. The person said someone else handled that kind of problem and transferred me. Then transferred me again. By the time the line settled, I was talking to a technician named John. He had a foreign accent and a reassuring way about him. He told me he could fix it, but first he needed permission to get into my computer and see what was going on. I gave it to him.
He looked around, told me what he'd found, and said before he could clean it up, he needed me to write a check.
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The Landing of the big "Hmm"
I remember thinking that was odd. A check, not a credit card. But he had already told me my computer was hacked, he used some specific technical word for it that I've since forgotten, and I was rattled. He had me write the check out to HP LLC and sign it.
Here's where I made what I now know was a mistake. I mentioned that my husband used to handle all our computer trouble, but he wasn't here anymore. John was very sympathetic about that.
He got to work. Thirty minutes in, he said he'd cleared about half the virus and needed more time. This went on for over an hour, him working, me waiting, him reporting progress in pieces. Finally he said it was done and asked me to print something to prove it. I did, and it printed. Problem solved, he said. Now I needed to finish the check.
He told me to write $1,899.00 on it. Then he asked me to hold it up to my laptop camera, front and back, so he could photograph it.
For what it's worth, that printer probably cost less than a hundred dollars. The laptop had cost me $400 two months earlier.
I was a nervous wreck by the end of it, but I had my minutes printed for the board meeting, so life went on. I told a few people what happened. I kept an eye on my bank statement, and when the check cleared, I printed a copy for my records and mostly tried not to think about the money I'd lost.
Then in July, John started calling again. My landline, my cell, leaving messages saying he'd noticed unusual activity on my computer. I let it go to voicemail four times. On the fifth call, I picked up. He said the same thing, unusual activity. I told him I thought he'd already fixed my computer and there was no need for anything further.
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That was the moment it really hit me that something was wrong. I called my local police department, and the clerk took my description of what happened and opened a report. I'd also told my son and daughter-in-law about the whole thing, and they told me the next day to get to my credit union.
As It Turns Out, Hewlett Packard = Hewlett Smackered
So I went in with my notes. It wasn't until we sat down and went through everything together that we noticed it: the check I'd written to HP LLC had been altered to read Hewlett Printing LLC. Between that and the police report already on file, the credit union refunded my money.
My son and daughter-in-law told me to get rid of the computer entirely. I gave it to them, they wiped it clean, and it's gone. Their advice, and I think it's sound, is to never deal with anyone, in person, on the phone, or on a computer, who demands money right now.
It took me until just last month to buy a new computer and printer. Neither one is Hewlett Packard."
