After Raleigh woman scammed, ABC11 Troubleshooter surprises her with 'miracle' $1,000 check

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- New details in an ABC11 Troubleshooter report involving a Raleigh woman who lost thousands of dollars in an imposter scam.

The story took an unexpected twist after Deborah Patterson shared her story with Troubleshooter Diane Wilson. Patterson told Wilson she knew people would question how she could fall for this scam, but she said she didn't care, as she wanted to make sure no one else lost money to it.

Weeks after Patterson shared how the scam cost her financial heartbreak, Wilson surprised her with a $1,000 check from Miracle Ministries, Inc. When Patterson realized it was a check made out to her, she said to Wilson, "Are you serious? Don't have me crying on the camera. I don't want nobody to ever think that there's not a God, because he will work a miracle. You have to trust and believe it will work out for your best."

The check came with a letter from Miracle Ministries Inc. in Raleigh that stated, "We want to thank Ms. Patterson for sharing her story and possibly helping prevent this from happening to someone else. This contribution is a small reminder that there are people in the world, and here in our local community, who care. We appreciate ABC11 News for shining a light on the prevalence of scammers and educating viewers on how to protect themselves and their loved ones."

It's a gift, Patterson says, she never expected after reaching out to Wilson about how she fell for an imposter scam on her computer. Patterson adds, "My computer went black, and then this number from Microsoft pops up, so it looked legit."

It was never Microsoft contacting her, instead, a scammer convinced her to give him access to her computer, making it appear that money was gone from her bank account. The only way to get the money back, she said, was to follow his instructions. She says she was told to go from store to store and buy gift cards. She would then scratch off the numbers on the back and give those numbers to the scammer, which drained the gift cards. When she finally realized she had been conned, Patterson said she had nearly lost three grand. She said to Wilson, "That was all the money I had, because my social security check had just came in."

After we shared her financial heartache, Miracle Ministries Inc. of Raleigh asked Wilson to get the $1,000 check to Patterson. Patterson said to Wilson, "I wish they were here so I could hug them and shake their hand. I am so grateful. Thank you so very, very much." Patterson said she used the money from Miracle Ministries Inc. to pay off the credit card she used to buy the gift cards when she was scammed.

WATCH | Raleigh woman gives fake Microsoft employee access to computer, loses thousands of dollars

The woman gave a man who claimed he worked for Microsoft access to her computer because he told her that money was gone from her bank account, and to get it back she followed his instructions.

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