EAST LYME, Conn. — An elderly East Lyme resident was taken advantage of in a large cryptocurrency scam. Fortunately, law enforcement was able to recover two-thirds of the money lost, and have warned the public to be aware of similar situations.
In August 2022, a family member contacted police to report that the senior had been swindled for a large sum of money. The victim had received a call from someone, claiming to be an attorney representing their bank, who informed them of fraudulent activities in regards to their account.
The caller instructed the senior to not tell anyone about the alleged situation.
“The so-called lawyer told the elderly person to go to their bank and withdraw a particular amount of money, and not to tell anyone, including the police, about this request,” said the relative to the police. “The supposed lawyer said that if the bank asked why they were withdrawing the money, they should say that it was to buy a car or renovate an apartment.”
The caller directed the victim to convert the cash into BitCoin, a cryptocurrency that is difficult to trace. The caller continued to call the victim, requesting additional withdrawals. In total, nearly $60,000 was taken from the senior.
Because of the nature of these accounts, the police have not been able to positively identify the criminals responsible or their country of origin.
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East Lyme police, in collaboration with the Connecticut State Police Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force, the New London State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Justice Department, were able to locate the stolen funds. Most of the money, in the form of Bitcoin, was recovered.
Police urged citizens to be very wary of calls where they are asked to provide payment. If you question if a call is legitimate, contact the police and trusted friends or family members to help you determine if it is a valid situation.
Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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