GREENSBORO, N.C. — When you get overcharged at the store, you expect a refund. When you get the wrong item at a restaurant, you expect them to make it right.
When you lose $150 to the Microsoft tech scheme and the Better Business Bureau says they'll help you get a refund, you expect that to happen. But the BBB in this case turned out to be a conman, posing as the BBB.
Lechelle Yates from the real BBB picks up the story from here. “This BBB imposter, he never delivers on the promised refund. We're keeping this consumer's name confidential. But the scammers contacted her again by text.”
Here’s how the text conversation went:
What makes this text even more complicated, there really is a BBB worker named Kevin. “Kevin is the first name of our real CEO. So if she would have called the BBB and asked if there was a Kevin there, she would think it's legit.”
We don't know if the scammer was just lucky the names matched or if it was a coincidence, but here's the giveaway this wasn't right, ”The scammer tells the woman she's getting back $3,100 but she has to pay $1,100 in taxes upfront with Google Play Cards.”
The scam doesn't stop here. It snowballs, and the consumer pays every time desperate to get her money back.
The red flags that this was a classic scheme were there from the beginning:
First: paying money upfront to get money. Whether its taxes, fees, that's always a con.
Second red flag: Paying for something with google play cards, iTunes or any other gift card. Gift cards are gifts, not payments
One more quick note, Microsoft is not going to call you and they don't know there's something going on with your computer. It is always a scam.