WINONA, Minn. – A 77-year-old Winona woman was scammed out of $5,900 in an elaborate scheme that began when her home computer screen grayed out. Soon she got a call from someone posing as a Microsoft technician. He said 6,000 corrupted files had been found and then something regarding child pornography and a pending federal investigation. He asked for personal data, which the woman provided. Then came a call from someone posing as from the woman’s Wells Fargo bank branch. He said her account would be blocked the next one to three days and that she should convert her balance to bitcoin and transfer it for safekeeping and ongoing access to an interim Wells account in Rochester. She did – the whole $5.900 balance.
