Email scheme ends bank funds stolen

An 82-year-old male Birmingham resident from the 1000 block of Yosemite Boulevard was the victim of an email fraud scam.

Officers took the report on Saturday, September 7, at 10 a.m. in the Birmingham Police Department lobby. The resident had received an email stating a subscription for a service was renewed. After calling the phone number on the invoice, he spoke to the suspect who asked the victim to install a remote piece of software and then log into his banking website.

The suspect then altered the victim’s screen to make it seem money was being refunded. The suspect then told the victim he had been refunded too much and asked him to purchase Target gift cards with the excess. The victim purchased $3,000 worth of gift cards and then gave the suspect the gift card numbers.

The victim’s bank informed him that he had been a victim of fraud. An investigation is ongoing.