67-year-old area woman loses $88K to cryptocurrency scam

A 67-year-old area woman has recovered $36,000 of the $88,000 she lost in a cryptocurrency scam.

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The scam began when the woman received a computer prompt suggesting her device had been hacked, leading her to contact a supposed Microsoft technician who was actually a scammer.

The fraudsters, posing as representatives from her bank and the Social Security Administration, convinced her to withdraw money and deposit it into a cryptocurrency kiosk.

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“Technology drives innovation, but sometimes cybercriminals are behind the wheel,” said Attorney General Dave Yost. “While we can help after the fact, your best defense is to be skeptical anytime a stranger asks you to make a financial transaction.”

The victim, a resident of Fairfield Township, realized she had been defrauded and reported the incident to the local police, who then sought assistance from the BCI’s Electronic Financial Investigations unit.

The unit, in collaboration with the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, was able to trace the funds and freeze further transfers to the scammer.

Using search warrants and a court order, the BCI recovered $36,000 of the stolen money, which was returned to the victim.

People are advised to educate themselves about cryptocurrency scams, which often target older people.

Common tactics include prompting victims to call a phone number and persuading them to withdraw cash for deposit into a Bitcoin ATM under false pretenses.

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