WESTLAKE, Ohio –
An Avon resident reported to the Westlake Police Department on March 5 that she had fallen victim to an online cryptocurrency fraud.
The 62-year-old victim said she received an unexpected email that appeared to be from the Geek Squad, a computer and electronics technical support company. However, unknown to the victim, the email was not from the company and was part of a scam, according to the police department.
The email claimed that the victim’s service contract had been automatically renewed for two years, and she had been charged $488 for the contract. Knowing that she did not have an ongoing agreement with the company, the victim called the phone number provided in the email to dispute the charge. However, the phone number also was bogus. The fake customer service representatives promised to fix the issues. They claimed that the victim’s accounts had been compromised by fraudsters and that the only way to fix the issue was to withdraw cash from bank accounts and deposit it into a local Bitcoin ATM.
The victim then talked to people posing as Federal Trade Commission agents, who promised that the money would be returned once the accounts were secured, according to the Westlake Police Department. The scammers talked the victim into depositing thousands into a Bitcoin ATM in Westlake.
Almost immediately after the deposit, the victim received a phone call from someone claiming to be with the Avon Police Department. The caller told the woman that she was now under investigation for money laundering and would have to pay more money to avoid warrants. The victim became suspicious and called the real Avon Police Department, where an officer confirmed that all the callers the victim had been dealing with were phonies.
Westlake officers had the victim immediately file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov), which can sometimes put a hold on crypto funds before they are lost forever. A fraud report was generated.
The Westlake Police Department issued a statement reminding area residents to be wary of unexpected text messages, emails, and phone calls even if they appear to come from legitimate sources. Scammers often try to create a sense of urgency by scaring victims into believing that they have warrants, outstanding bills, or that their identity has already been used for nefarious purposes. Fraudsters often demand that victims buy gift cards or take out large sums of cash from the bank, according to a Westlake Police Department statement. The department advises that residents should not call phone numbers supplied in emails, texts or voicemails. Instead, they should verify information independently with confirmed phone numbers from other trusted sources and call their local police department with any concerns.
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