ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A rural Colorado man is due in St. Louis County Circuit Court next month after being charged with scamming a woman out of more than $45,000 in 2023.

According to the Maryland Heights Police Department’s probable cause statement, the scam occurred on Dec. 14, 2023.

The victim told investigators that she was on her computer and received alerts that her computer had been hacked. She was instructed to contact Microsoft and given a phone number to call.

The woman spoke with the alleged Microsoft employee and was told she’d be contacted by an agent with the Federal Trade Commission.

This “agent” called the woman and told her she could clear her name of any wrongdoing and fix her computer problem by writing a check in the amount of $45,047.35 payable to Garnet Bird Sanctuary LLC and mailing it to an address of a UPS store in Montrose, Colorado.

The victim mailed the check as requested and contacted authorities about the ordeal.

Investigators obtained security footage from the UPS store where the check was mailed, as well as the bank that maintains the LLC’s account.

Police claim Garnet Bird picked up the check from the UPS store and deposited it at the bank under his LLC account.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Bird with stealing – $25,000 or more. A circuit court judge issued a summons to Bird on June 25, ordering him to appear in court on July 31.