A Raleigh woman, Pauline Miller, recounts being drawn into a complex scam that preyed on her fear and trust.
Reflecting on the incident, Miller said she can hardly believe what she did.
It all started when she was on a familiar recipe website.
“I was scrolling down, and suddenly, my computer locked up,” she explained.
Her screen went black, displaying a bold message claiming her identity was compromised. The message blared through her speakers repeatedly.
“Over and over and over,” Miller said. “I was frozen in fear and didn’t know what to do.”
In a panic, Miller called the number listed in the message, unaware that she was contacting scammers.
“The verbal message stopped, providing a moment of relief, which allowed them to start building trust,” she said.
For the next two hours, the scammers manipulated her with alternating fear and trust. They convinced Miller that her bank account was at risk and that she needed to withdraw $15,000 to prevent it from being stolen on the dark web.
Miller recounted her experience at the bank.
“No one at the bank questioned the withdrawal,” she said. “The only comment I got was, ‘I hope you’re doing something fun with this.’”
The scammers then instructed her to deposit the money in a Bitcoin ATM, assuring her they would help keep her money safe.
“You’re in the movies at this point, carrying out $15,000 in $100 bills,” she said. “I’ve never taken out that kind of cash, never.”
Following their instructions, Miller fed the money into the Bitcoin ATM and felt uneasy.
“I looked around, wondering if anybody was seeing this. It felt horrible,” she said.
After depositing the money, the scammers demanded one final thing: a photo of the receipt and her driver’s license.
At that point, Miller’s instincts kicked in.
“I reported it to the Raleigh police,” she said.
Raleigh Police Department Detective Chris Gay noted there have been 31 similar Bitcoin scam cases since September 2023.
“The scammers are good at what they do,” Gay said.
The rise in Bitcoin ATM scams has become a priority for the department. Gay advised that time is critical in recovering stolen funds.
“Call the police department immediately because these cases are time-sensitive,” Gay said.
Fortunately, Raleigh police managed to retrieve Miller’s money from the Bitcoin ATM and return it to her.
“The detective I worked with was incredible,” Miller said. “He came to my house, collected all the receipts, went to the Bitcoin machine, taped it off with crime tape, and was able to get my money back. It was still in the machine, and he physically brought all my money back.”
Now, Miller uses her experience to warn others.
“If somebody tells you your identity has been compromised, 10 minutes won’t make a difference,” she said. “Hang up the phone, call a friend, call the police, and verify if it’s true or not.”
Authorities remind people to avoid clicking on links or calling numbers from random emails or texts.