VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. — A woman avoided being scammed out of $50,000 thanks to a state trooper.
Michigan State Police (MSP) says the scammer claimed to be a Microsoft employee and convinced the victim to withdraw cash so that her computer may be unlocked.
We’re told the bank informed the victim’s family of the abnormally large withdrawal amount, who in turn reached out to police.
MSP tells us Tpr. Ryan Benoit with the Paw Paw post stepped in to intervene.
"We can’t thank the MSP and Tpr. Benoit enough for the rapid & compassionate response,” the family wrote in a letter. “We're all deeply grateful."
MSP encourages community members to check in on older family members as often as they can to ensure they don’t become victims to scams.
"It's really sad to see because a lot of times ... they say, 'Don't tell your family about this,' you know ... 'Don't call the police,'" says Benoit. "And then before you know it, everything that they own is gone. And the scammer ... we can never find them. ... It's been tough to see some families just get devastated by this and just devastated by financial ruin."
READ MORE: Why Americans are losing more to scams
