Local resident Dax Mills thought she was in a nightmare when scammers convinced her that the DEA had discovered incriminating evidence on her computer and threatened to arrest her unless she handed over thousands of dollars in cash - which she did, buying four gift cards at different stores.
Mills says the scammers contacted her while she worked from home, claiming to be Microsoft representatives. They told her she was under investigation for identity theft and that if she didn't cooperate, she'd be arrested. In a frantic state, Mills bought four Nordstrom gift cards, then two Target cards, before calling 7 On Your Side.
When the 7 On Your Side team helped her contact Safeway where she purchased the gift cards, they were able to block all of them and recover most of the money. The only problem was that the scammer had already used $1,900 worth of Nordstrom cards and $3,000 in total. But after working with 7 On Your Side, Mills was able to get back nearly her entire $8,000 investment.
In a heart-wrenching interview, Mills expressed relief upon learning she would not be arrested: "I already did! I actually spent all day giving them money." She and her partner were amazed that the real DEA wouldn't contact her, but the fake ones sure looked like they were going to arrest her.
Mills says the scammers contacted her while she worked from home, claiming to be Microsoft representatives. They told her she was under investigation for identity theft and that if she didn't cooperate, she'd be arrested. In a frantic state, Mills bought four Nordstrom gift cards, then two Target cards, before calling 7 On Your Side.
When the 7 On Your Side team helped her contact Safeway where she purchased the gift cards, they were able to block all of them and recover most of the money. The only problem was that the scammer had already used $1,900 worth of Nordstrom cards and $3,000 in total. But after working with 7 On Your Side, Mills was able to get back nearly her entire $8,000 investment.
In a heart-wrenching interview, Mills expressed relief upon learning she would not be arrested: "I already did! I actually spent all day giving them money." She and her partner were amazed that the real DEA wouldn't contact her, but the fake ones sure looked like they were going to arrest her.
, this is just crazy 
! I mean, who falls for a scam like this? 
Dax Mills must have been so stressed out, thinking she was actually being investigated by the DEA 
... and then finding out it was all a big scam 
. What's even more shocking is that she spent almost all her money in one day! 
... I hope more people learn from Dax's experience and take precautions to avoid falling for scams like this 
.
. I mean, if it wasn't for 7 On Your Side stepping in, we'd be talking about a potentially devastating financial loss 
. What really gets me is that she felt like she was in a nightmare and thought the real DEA would arrest her 
. It's a good thing she got some relief when it turned out to be all just a scam 
.
... i mean, can you even believe these scammers? they're like total hackers 
... they got away with almost $8k from one poor lady 
... we should all be more careful when working from home or shopping online 
. here's a quick diagram to help remember: 
. This story is insane, i mean $8k down the drain just because some ppl wanna make a quick buck off others. And what's crazy is that Dax actually did think she was in trouble and handed over all that cash thinking it was legit 
. I'm so glad the 7 On Your Side team was able to help her out and get most of her money back. But can we please just take a sec to talk about how the scammers use our own fears against us? Like they know exactly what to say to make ppl panic 
7 On Your Side team did an awesome job helping her out 
but still, this whole thing is just so unsettling 
gotta be more careful with our online security now 
. I mean, I know we've all received those "your account has been compromised" emails before, but come on, this is just ridiculous 
. And it's not like the scammers are exactly shy about who they're pretending to be either - I mean, "DEA representatives" ? Give me a break 
.
People need to be more careful online 
. I feel bad for her, she must've been in a really stressful situation 
!
. I mean, can you even imagine being convinced that you're in trouble with the law just because someone is trying to trick you? 
It's ridiculous how easily she fell for it 
. I just hope more people can learn from this and be more cautious online 
!
. Four gift cards at different stores? That's just asking for trouble. I'm surprised she didn't get taken for even more money. At least she got most of it back, but still, this should be a wake-up call for people to be more cautious online 
! scammers can be really good at making people think they're in serious trouble, and it's scary that she actually handed over thousands of dollars thinking it was the real deal 
.
. Back in my day, we didn't have all these new-fangled scams and cyber threats. We just had to deal with actual telemarketers trying to sell us stuff. And at least they were upfront about it! These scammers are so sneaky, using fake authorities to get what they want... it's like something out of a bad movie 
.
. It's just another reminder to always be cautious when working from home or online... you never know who might be lurking on the other end of a phone call