DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) – It’s a scam that is not new at all, and it can happen anywhere at any time.
But it recently hit Delhi Township. Police said in two weeks, two different people were taken for $30,000 each.
Here’s what the con looks like:
It can be packaged in several different ways but this one pops up as an alert on your computer, saying you have a virus or child pornography on your computer. A number appears on your computer to call a technical team to fix it. In order to clean up your computer the person on the other line says you need to pay them bitcoin. They will ask you to withdraw cash from your accounts and go to a bitcoin ATM or use Visa gift cards and buy the bitcoin online.
So how can you protect yourself?
Never give people you don’t know bitcoin, cash, or gift cards. It’s untraceable, and nearly impossible to get back, even if you report it to police. If you get a notification like this, call police before you take any action. The scammer will probably tell you not to. Listen to your bank tellers. If they see you taking out a large sum of money, usually they will inform you this is a scam. And if it doesn’t feel right, keep questioning the person on the other line especially if they try to rush you.
If you do get scammed, report it to the Federal Trade Commission immediately.
