Woman loses nearly $18,000 in computer virus scam

A woman is out nearly $18,000 after trying to fix what looked like a computer virus warning from Microsoft.
The Grand Island Police Department said the 74-year-old victim thought she was paying Microsoft to fix the problem after receiving a pop-up on her computer.
She said she handed over $17,849 in the form of Google Play cards over the course of several months before reporting the issue to police.
Officers said the whole thing was a scam, and they believe the scammer she was in contact with lived somewhere outside the U.S.