On Thursday evening, Bellefontaine Police responded to a report from a local resident who claimed to have lost $25,000 in a fraudulent scheme.
The victim reported receiving a suspicious message on their iPhone, which appeared to be from Apple, locking the phone. The message instructed the victim to call a phone number. After contacting the number, the scammer claimed that the victim’s bank account had been compromised and offered to transfer them to a secure line.
The scammer then instructed the victim to withdraw $25,000 from Huntington Bank and convert it into Bitcoin. A QR code for the transaction was sent, and the scammer also requested a photo of the victim’s driver’s license. Following the scammer’s directions, the victim went to Jackson Center and deposited the $25,000 into a Bitcoin machine. While still on the phone, the scammer told the victim, “We just had another hit,” and instructed them to withdraw an additional $20,000 at a bank in Russell’s Point.
At the Russell’s Point Huntington Bank branch, a bank employee became suspicious upon noticing the victim using their phone. The employee intervened, speaking with the scammer on the phone, at which point the scammer abruptly ended the call.
The victim explained that the scam seemed believable because the scammer knew personal details about their bank and account. Police informed the victim that scams like this often involve Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency transactions.
The case is still under investigation.
