Residents of St. Thomas have lost a shocking $120,000 in a cryptocurrency scam. On Tuesday, St. Thomas police were contacted by the victim who reported having made payments to the fraudulent crypto currency company between April and August. The police have launched an investigation into the matter.
On the same day, Middlesex County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a home in Adelaide Metcalfe. The victim there informed them that they had received a pop-up alert from Microsoft, asking to call a phone number for an update of their computer. After the call, they were told their firewall was expired and they had to pay for a fake one.
The next day, a person claiming to be from Microsoft called to verify that everything was working, and were granted access to the victim’s computer and banking information. Unbelievably, the fraudsters told the victim that they had mistakenly transferred funds into their account and demanded it all back in Bitcoin. The victim ended up transferring $35,000 in Bitcoin to the scammers.
Police are warning not to respond to or provide any personal information to unsolicited requests. If you feel pressured, just hang up the phone or delete the sender’s profile. To stay informed about current scams, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website. The investigation is ongoing.
