Monroe County deputies urging others to protect themselves from online scammers

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of scammers posing as computer professionals over the phone with residents looking to resolve technical issues, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

The computer issue may be real or invented by scammers, according to MCSO spokesperson Adam Linhardt.

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According to Linhardt, the scammers attempt to steal money from victims by asking for banking, credit card, or other financial information over the phone.

Authorities said one resident who was having trouble logging into an AOL account recently came close to losing $90,000 in such a scam. However, the would-be victim stopped providing information to the criminals before they could steal the money.

MCSO deputies are urging others to hang up the phone if they are being asked for personal financial information or large sums of money and to contact their bank or a law enforcement officer immediately.


About the Author

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

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