Goodhue County, MN (KROC-AM News)- A resident of southeast Minnesota recently fell victim to a costly scam. 

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That’s according to the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office. The scam was reported to law enforcement earlier this month. 

Authorities say the scam victim reported getting a pop-up on their computer that appeared to have been from Microsoft. The Belle Creek Township resident then reported calling a phone number on the pop-up and was told that hackers had taken over their computer. 

Image credit: Google Maps
Image credit: Google Maps
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The scammer also indicated to the victim that they had lost $31,500 from the faux hacking. The victim was then instructed to send twice that amount in bitcoin to get their money back. 

TimArbaev GettyImages
TimArbaev GettyImages
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Officials say the victim followed those instructions leading to a loss of $63,000. The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to talk to their loved ones about scams. 

Facebook/Goodhue County Sheriff's Office
Facebook/Goodhue County Sheriff's Office
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The pop-up scam comes off the heels of a banking scam reported earlier this month in Goodhue County. 

In that case the victim lost $16,000 after getting a phone call from a scammer who had spoofed the phone number from the victim’s bank.

8 Things To Do If You Paid A Phone Scammer

Merciless phone scammers are targeting unaware folks with schemes involving pleas for charity, car warranties, unpaid traffic tickets, you name it. The Federal Trade Commission says, "Scammers often ask you to pay in ways that make it tough to get your money back. No matter what payment method you used to pay, the sooner you act, the better."
If you have paid one of these scammers and then realize you have been scammed, here are 8 tips from the Federal Trade Commission, on what to do if you have paid a scammer.