Con men scam Streamwood couple out of $2,200

A Streamwood couple fell prey to criminals pretending to protect them from computer viruses, losing $2,200 in the scam, Streamwood police said.

The couple was set up for the scam a year ago when they received a phone call claiming to be from a "Steve Martin," who told them he could provide protection from a computer virus. They signed up for the service.

On Nov. 4 of this year, the couple received a call from "Steve," who told them the service was set to expire, but added they deserved a refund of $250. Steve referred them to "Ryan," who said he would send the $250 to their bank account.

Later, he called and told them he had mistakenly sent $2,500. They were told to purchase 22 iTunes gift cards valued at $100 each and give Ryan the gift card numbers to pay back the additional money.

On Nov. 5, the couple was contacted again by Ryan and told that there was an error and the cards were not valid. They were told to purchase an additional $2,000 in gift cards. When one of the victims went to Wal-Mart to purchase the gift cards, she was told that she was very likely the victim of a scam.

The couple then told the scammers they would not send any more money.