Police are reminding people to be wary of calls from unknown individuals following a reported Bitcoin scam that cost a Guelph woman nearly $8,000.
A 27-year-old female reported the scam to police on Monday afternoon.
She told police she’d received a call earlier in the day from someone claiming to be from the Canadian Border Services Agency and that a package with her name on it contained materials consistent with trafficking.
The caller advised she would be arrested unless she paid a $8,050 fine using Bitcoin.
While still on the phone with the caller, the victim visited a Downtown Guelph business with a Bitcoin ATM and deposited $7,750, but became suspicious and didn’t deposit the rest.
Police offered the following advice in a news release:
- Do not provide any information to a caller you don’t know.
- Do not click on links provided or follow directions from a caller you don’t know.
- If the caller claims to be from an agency such as Canadian Border Services or the Canada Revenue Agency, hang up and call the agency back directly before following any instructions. Look up the number yourself rather than using a number provided by the caller.
- The caller will use various means, including threats, to try to force you to act quickly. Don’t fall for it.
- No government agency will demand payment by gift cards or crypto currency. If they ask for this, hang up.
