Traverse City Woman Loses $42,000 in Fake Federal Reserve Wire Scam
A 73-year-old Traverse City woman likely lost $42,000 after scammers posing as Microsoft and Federal Reserve representatives convinced her to buy gift cards and send a wire transfer, police said.
The case was reported July 27, according to WPBN/WGTU. Police said the woman received a pop-up message and an email claiming to be from Microsoft and telling her to call a phone number. She called the number, spoke with one man, then called a second number and spoke with another man.
During the calls, police said, 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. The claim was part of the pressure tactic used to move her quickly into payment.
Police said the woman bought $6,000 in gift cards at Lowe’s. She then went to her bank 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.
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The warning signs match patterns federal agencies have documented. The FTC says fake security pop-ups impersonating well-known companies can lead victims into tech-support scams, and real tech companies do not use pop-up warnings to tell users to call a phone number.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York also warns that Federal Reserve banks do not maintain accounts for individuals and do not contact the public to ask for money, gift cards, wire transfers, fees, or personal account information.
For older victims, the consequences can be severe. The FBI said complaints from victims over 60 exceeded 201,000 in 2025, with reported losses of more than $7.7 billion. The agency advises victims to contact their bank immediately and report scams to IC3.
No suspect has been reported.
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