Crawfordsville police are warning residents of a new scam involving Bitcoin transactions.
Crawfordsville Police Det. Lt. Bob Rivers said two residents in the past four days have been victimized by scammers and have lost a combined $25,000.
Rivers said both victims were working on their personal computers when the screen froze, and a phone number popped up directing them to call Microsoft to fix the computer problem.
When the residents called the number the person on the telephone claimed to be running a scan on the victim’s computer and got them to provide both personal and bank information. The scammer then told the victim that their bank account has multiple pending payments, some of which may be embarrassing to the victim.
The scammer instructed the victim to withdraw money from their bank account and then visit a local gas station that has a Bitcoin machine. The scammer told the victim, he will stay on the telephone and assist them in setting up a Bitcoin account.
“They (the scammers) are pretty convincing,” Rivers said.
Rivers advised anyone who encounters this situation not to call the number that is prompted on the computer screen. If a call has been placed, hang up and call your bank. Speak to a local, trusted bank representative.
“They (your bank representative) can helps stop scammers from getting your money,” Rivers said. “They can tell you if there really are any pending transactions on your account.”
Rivers also advised residents who have encountered this fraudulent activity to make a police report.
He stressed residents need to be aware that Bitcoin is not a bank.
“Once the money is withdrawn from a bank account and converted to a Bitcoin account then sent to the scammer’s wallet, it’s gone,” he said.
