LIVINGSTON PARISH, La. – The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office (LPSO) is warning residents about a new variation of an old scam that has already claimed multiple local victims.
According to Sheriff Jason Ard, scammers are using pop-up messages and phone calls to convince individuals their computers have been hacked. Victims are then instructed to contact a fake Microsoft representative, who claims their financial information has been compromised. From there, the scam escalates.
“Once the scammers convince them they have been compromised,” Ard said in a statement, “they instruct the individuals to purchase large sums of gold bullion and to either mail it or meet in person to turn it over to a ‘Security Officer’ who will hold it for ‘safekeeping.’ DO NOT DO THIS!”
The LPSO Financial Crimes Team offered the following advice:
Immediately disconnect your computer from the internet and power it down if you receive a suspicious pop-up.
Do not power it back on until it can be examined and factory reset by a trusted technician.
Be aware that restarting your device without proper steps may reinstall the malware.
No legitimate business will ever request payment via gold bullion or Bitcoin.
If contacted by these scammers, residents should report the incident to the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office immediately.
Anyone who believes they may have fallen victim to this scheme is encouraged to contact LPSO to file a report.
