PC Repair Shop Swindles Laptop Owner for $20 Million

Short and to the point: Man takes broken laptop to a computer repair shop. Shop employees scam man out of $20 million. End of story.

It's actually quite a bit more elaborate than that, but the end result is the same. According to NetworkWorld.com, a New York couple defrauded wealthy pianist Roger Davidson out of up to $20 million by convincing him that his laptop virus was really a symptom of a larger plot involving government intelligence agencies, foreign nationals, and Catholic priests. Apparently the New York couple were believable enough that Davidson agreed to pay them $160,000 for month for round-the-clock protection.

"The suspects were isolating the victim and were basically trying to control every dollar that he had," said Police Chief Anthony Marraccini. "They did it very systematically and infiltrated every aspect of his life. It was almost a brainwashing technique."

The scam went on for over six years, and if convicted, the couple could face up to 25 years in prison.