By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent 

Sheriff deputies, on April 7, reported that a county resident was scammed and lost a large amount of money at an undisclosed location.

The county resident received a notice on his computer that unknown persons were using the county resident’s computer to access child pornography. The person who contacted the county resident said he represented Microsoft and could solve the problem for the county resident.

Instead, the county resident was scammed after following illegal directions from the scammer who pretended (posed) to be a Microsoft employee. The county resident forwarded cash and gift cards.

Law enforcement representatives remind county residents that law abiding businesses will never ask customers to send gift card numbers. This is a scam.

If a computer is locked up, don’t respond to scammers who try to blackmail victims. Instead, use control, alt delete or use the shutoff button.  After restarting your computer, you should be back to normal. If not, contact your computer advisor or call the county Sheriff Office at (218) 998-8555.