Sioux Falls victim loses $45,000 in phone scam

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Argus Leader) — Sioux Falls police are investigating a fraud case involving a victim who lost $45,000. Police say the individual recently got a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft. The caller said they found a problem with the victim’s computer and gave instructions on how to allow the caller to gain remote access. Once the caller had access to the computer, the scammer had access to all the victim’s information.

The Argus Leader reports police Sgt. Sean Kooistra said that because the victim was afraid of losing that information, the victim followed the caller’s directions and ended up giving the caller $45,000. Police are warning residents of the dangers of giving money to someone they don’t know over the phone.