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- Bitcoin transfer fraud has been growing tremendously in Ohio, USA
- Following the scenario, the FBI partnered with the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs to issue warnings
- The exact number of scam cases is yet to be revealed
Bitcoin has attracted mainstream attention globally with the concentration of scammers. According to Cleveland19, in Ohio, USA, recently, it is observed that there is a high number of wire frauds. The scammers are victimizing individuals to send them funds from Bitcoin ATMs located in the region. Following the scenario, the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) summoned stores to install Bitcoin ATMs with warnings.
How do scammers shape such fraud?
The scammers are shaping themselves in various roles to scam innocent individuals. Among the cases, the scammer pretended to be the son of a couple in one case. Being the son, he asked the couple to spend $9k in Bitcoin.
Once, a scammer appeared as the lawyer of a couple’s son in one case. He asked the couple that his son is in a detention center and requires bail. Moreover, he stated that the prison is closed for 60 days as a countermeasure against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In another case, the scammer appeared as a Social Security Agency person, claiming that the victim’s social security number was used for illegal activities. Hence, to resolve the situation, they asked for Bitcoins. However, the scammers were scamming using multiple identities.
FBI is putting its efforts to combat Bitcoin scams
The Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have sent warnings. A reporter from Cleveland19 news outlet tweeted an image that shows a sign entitled “Are you fooled?” above the Bitcoin ATMs.
Moreover, the warning stated that even if someone asks Bitcoin for Internal Revenue System (IRS) related payments and utilities, it should be ignored. According to Andresson-Gregg, a special agent of the FBI Cleveland division, the agency has a very active financial crimes unit in the region.
What is the exact count of scams?
According to CoinATMRaddar, there are about 212 BTC ATMs available in the region. However, the exact number of scam cases is still to be revealed. Furthermore, he mentioned that it’s too difficult to capture the exact numbers of these types of scams, as many times people get embarrassed that they fell for. Hence, such individuals need to word out so they could protect others from being victims.
Gregg also asked Ohio residents to fill the IC3 Intake Form if someone falls victim to such activity.
