The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public after a 68-year-old woman fell victim to an online bitcoin scam earlier this week. According to Chief Deputy Ben Houchin, the woman encountered a pop-up window on her computer that appeared to be from Microsoft Support.
“The message informed her of a suspicious $7,000 bank transfer,” Houchin said. The pop-up included a phone number, which the woman called. “The individual on the line told her she needed to withdraw $7,000 from her bank account and convert it to bitcoin at a bitcoin ATM.”
Unfortunately, the woman followed these instructions and lost the money. It wasn’t until later that she realized she had been scammed. The scammer continued to call her, but she stopped answering.
Cases like this one are becoming increasingly common, and Houchin offers a straightforward piece of advice to avoid becoming a victim: “If someone on the phone tells you to withdraw money and convert it to bitcoin, hang up immediately. It’s a scam.”