Cherokee County Sheriff's Office investigating Microsoft scam

(From the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a scam involving a thief claiming to be a representative of Microsoft.

The thief calls a potential victim stating there is an issue with the victims’ computer. The Microsoft representative gains remote access to the computer with the permission of the victim. In the most recent event, the thief instructed the victim to obtain Itune Gift Cards and provide the information off the back to pay for the computer repair services.

“These thieves become more and more creative and unfortunately they can be good at the con they run on unsuspecting residents,” stated Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves.

“Please keep in mind that many times they will mask their phone numbers to look like local numbers on your caller ID but are calling from outside of the United States, which makes prosecution difficult. I ask residents to also remember no legitimate company is going to ask you to pay for services by going to a store to purchase a gift card. Anyone you don’t know who asks you to purchase a gift card and then give them the number off the back of the card, is likely trying to steal your money. You should immediately hang up on them,” concluded Sheriff Groves.