Elderly New York Woman Scammed by Person Claiming to Work For Microsoft

Con artists are everywhere, and often they'll try to scam their victims through the phone or online. Unfortunately, scammers often target the elderly. Officials in New York say a suspect claimed that they worked for a major software company when he allegedly told a woman to transfer thousands of dollars to another bank account.

Police Say Suspect Ripped Off Elderly Woman 

Nassau County Police say an 85-year-old woman from North Hills was on her computer when she received a message to call an unknown phone number. Police say the woman called and spoke to a man who claimed to work for Microsoft. The man then allegedly told her to go to her local bank branch and transfer $49,000 to another bank account that he had provided the information for.

Police say once the transfer was completed, the suspect instructed the victim to send a copy of her driver’s license and the bank receipt of the transfer to a phone number that he provided.

See Also: Grandmother in New York State Gets the Perfect Revenge On Scammers

Officials remind everyone to confirm who you're talking with, and don't provide personal information over the phone. they go on to say that legit agencies or companies won't ask for immediate payment or come to your home to collect money.

Do New Yorkers Have to Document Illegal Activities on Their Taxes? 

USA Today says that the Internal Revenue Service wants to know if you've stolen property. Yes, as ridiculous as this may sound, if you stole a vehicle or robbed a store, you have to report it.

It even states right there, "If you steal property, you must report its FMV (Fair Market Value) in your income in the year you steal it, unless in the same year you return it to its rightful owner,"

You're probably wondering just who would actually admit to doing this to a government agency/ Wouldn't this just land you in trouble/ One IRS spokesperson said that while he wasn't aware of the agency "ever publishing statistics on how many taxpayers actually report illicit income", he claims the IRS would not turn the info over to law enforcement.

We're pretty sure no one is willing to take this risk.