Guelph Police report that a Guelph senior is the latest local to fall for the Bitcoin scam when she was defrauded of $9,000.
The 71-year-old victim contacted police Monday. She said on Jan. 14 she received several calls from phone numbers she did not recognize, finally answering her phone when she believed one of the numbers belonged to a friend as it was a Kitchener phone number.
The caller claimed to be a police officer, telling the victim her social insurance card had been found inside a violent crime scene and that she was potentially facing charges. The male also told the victim her bank account had been compromised and she needed to move her money to protect it from those who had stolen her SIN card.
Following instructions, the scared victim withdrew $9,000 from her account and deposited it into a Bitcoin machine in the downtown core.
Unfortunately these types of scams are very difficult to investigate and the odds of recovering the funds is low, police said.
The Guelph Police Service would like to remind the public that no police officer or government official will ever instruct you to deposit money into a Bitcoin machine. Please be very vigilant and cautious whenever you are speaking with someone you don’t know, especially online or over the phone.
Please also seek advice from a family member, co-worker, trusted friend or the Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212 before following through on instructions received from a person that you don’t know.
