The Michigan State Police (MSP) Houghton Lake Post sent out a scam warning this week that our local Rockford MSP Post asked us to share with residents.

The Michigan State Police (MSP) Houghton Lake Post reminds residents that scams can take many different forms, and recently two victims of the same scam have contacted the post to make a report.

Most scams involve obtaining a victim’s personal information under false pretenses or gaining access to their computer or bank information. The scammer usually portrays a sense of urgency, pretending to be an official of a legitimate organization to fool a victim into providing personal information.

In a new twist, the suspect contacts the victim advising they have a subscription to something that will be automatically renewed for a couple hundred dollars. When the victim advises they have no subscription or do not want to renew the subscription, the caller tells them they will walk them through cancelling the subscription. The suspect then gets access to the victim’s computer by sending them a link to click on and fill out. The suspect now has access to the victim’s computer.

One of the victims was told they were supposed to get a refund of $600 and that they were accidentally refunded $6,000 instead. The suspect requested gift cards to refund them the difference. One victim reported sending $4,000 in gift cards.

If you believe you have been the victim of a scam you can contact your nearest MSP Post.

From the editor: I recently received one of these in an email. Mine had to do with an antivirus program it said would be renewed for $600, and I knew it was false because I didn’t have the program. If you receive something like this, DO NOT CLICK on any link or attachment in it, and don’t respond to it. Just forward the email to the anti-phishing working group at reportphishing@apwg.org and then delete the email.