A man reported Thursday that he lost nearly $40,000 in an online scam.
The victim told the Greene County Sheriff’s Department that he had received an email that he had purchased an item called Windows Defender for $495. At the bottom of the email, there was a number to call if he did not make the purchase.
The man said he called the number and was told that he would receive a refund. Later, he received a call stating that the refund had been messed up and that he had received $39,500. He was ordered to return the money or else face legal action.
The victim said he withdrew the $39,500 in two transactions from his savings account and took it to Johnson City, where he deposited it into a machine using a QR code he had been given.
No money had been taken out of his account to make the original purchase, according to the victim.
