Detectives and investigators with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Financial Crimes Division warn community members of Bitcoin and crypto-related scams being reported within the county.
Criminals are exploiting people into depositing money into crypto ATMs and defrauding them of their money, police said.
County police have responded to multiple such cases this year:
• A victim was scammed Jan. 11 into depositing $10,500 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Jan. 12 into depositing $31,100 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 13 into depositing $10,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 14 into depositing $6,500 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 15 into depositing $15,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 20 into depositing $20,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 21 into depositing $8,500 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 21 into depositing $8,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A scammer posing as a law-enforcement officer on Feb. 22 asked for a deposit into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A caller posing as a law-enforcement officer on Feb. 22 scammed a victim into depositing $15,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 27 into depositing $19,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A victim was scammed Feb. 28 into depositing $16,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A caller posing as law enforcement on Feb. 29 scammed a victim into depositing an undisclosed amount into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A caller posing as law enforcement on March 1 scammed a victim into depositing $3,000 into a Bitcoin ATM.
• A scammer on March 1 asked a victim to deposit money into a Bitcoin ATM. The attempt failed.
These scams typically begin when suspects call victims and pose as representatives of law enforcement, banks, legitimate entities, businesses or federal-government agencies. Scammers then use varying deceptions to convince victims into depositing funds into a crypto ATM or converting money into gift cards or other forms of payments that are difficult to trace or recover. These criminals often prey on elderly victims.
Police urge community members, particularly seniors, to remain vigilant and follow these tips:
• Just hang up if an unsolicited call comes from an unknown number.
• Always confirm the identity of the person or organization contacting you; hang up and call the institution by using their known contact information from official Websites, bills, invoices, etc. Companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Norton, McAfee, eBay, PayPal, Amazon and Google never will call you and ask for any kind of payment.
• Be skeptical of unsolicited calls: Anyone who calls you on the phone, requires you to stay on the phone and asks for payments with gift cards of any kind (Greendot, iTunes, Google Play, Target, Walmart etc.) should be considered suspicious, as it likely is a scam. Other fraud indicators are requests for money through wire transfers (MoneyGram, Western Union, Walmart to Walmart, Zelle, Venmo, CashApp) or deposits into Bitcoin ATMs.
• Before making any financial decisions, especially those involving large sums or unfamiliar technologies, consult with trusted family members or friends.
• Never share personal or financial information over the phone unless you initiated the call and are certain of the recipient’s legitimacy.
• When dealing with Bitcoin or other digital currencies, use reputable and well-established platforms for transactions.
• Beware of e-mails or pop-ups claiming you must click a link, call a number, or open an attachment. These “phishing” attempts often convey a sense of urgency or even a threat of some kind. Report the e-mail as spam and delete it.
• Remember, law enforcement never will call you on the phone and ask you to pay money to avoid arrest or post a bond. Other common scams include notices of missing jury duty or a federal agent calling you to say your name and identity have been discovered being involved in criminal activity or money laundering. The FBI, IRS, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Social Security Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Trade Commission and local police will never will call you and ask for money for any reason.
• Never let anyone access your computer remotely. Scammers pretending to be from Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google and other companies will ask for remote access to your computer to “fix” an issue or attempt to refund money to you for an alleged fraud charge. Do not allow remote computer access, as this is a scam. Scammers will claim they are going to refund money to your bank account, but instead they will steal it.
Some crypto-currency ATMs may offer partial transaction reimbursements for victims of fraud at their machines after a police report is filed.
If you have been a victim of a financial crime, contact county police by filing an online report at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police_ficor. If you are unable to file a report on the computer, call the non-emergency line at (703) 691-2131 to have an officer assist you with making a FiCOR report.
For more information about elder fraud, visit the Website of the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crimes atchttp://ovc.ojp.govovc.ojp.gov. If you have been a victim of elder fraud and reside outside of Fairfax County, you can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1 (833) 372-8311.
