Traverse City Woman Loses $42,000 in Fake Federal Reserve Wire Scam

A 73-year-old Traverse City woman lost $42,000 in a fake Federal Reserve wire scam.

The scammers posed as Microsoft and Federal Reserve representatives, convincing her to buy gift cards and send a wire transfer. She received a pop-up message and an email claiming to be from Microsoft, telling her to call a phone number, which she did.

During the calls, the scammers told her that her IP address had been tracked and that $42,000 from her bank account had been applied to a child pornography website. They used this pressure tactic to get her to make quick payments.

The woman bought $6,000 in gift cards at Lowe's and sent a $36,000 wire transfer to someone she believed was the Federal Reserve. Investigators said she is trying to reverse the wire transfer, but recovery is unlikely.