Strathcona County, Alta. – Strathcona County RCMP are currently investigating two Bitcoin scams. In both instances the fraudsters contacted the victims by phone claiming to be a police officer and demanded they deposit money into a Bitcoin machine.
The first victim received a call from someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and a second male who stated he was an RCMP officer. The fraudsters threatened arrest if the funds were not paid immediately. The victim was instructed to withdraw cash and deposit into a Bitcoin machine. The victim lost $12,000 as a result of this scam.
The second victim received a call from a male who stated he was an RCMP officer. The officer claimed the victim’s social insurance number had been compromised and there were several fraud allegations pending. The victim was instructed to take money out of the bank and deposit into a Bitcoin machine for safe keeping while the fraud allegations were investigated. The victim lost over $21,000 as a result of this scam.
Unfortunately, Bitcoin is a worldwide virtual currency that is not regulated by a central body, which makes it impossible for victims to get their money back once its been deposited into a machine and transferred to a “virtual wallet.”
“There is no circumstance where police will contact individuals requesting bitcoin,” said Cst. Chantelle Kelly of the Strathcona County RCMP, “These scammers typically contact hundreds of people hoping that someone will send them money.”
For more information on scams contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or toll free at 1-888-495-8501. If you believe you may be the victim of fraud or have given personal or financial information unwittingly, contact the Strathcona County RCMP Detachment at 780-467-7741