Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that a newly formed unit within the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) recently recovered $130,000 lost in a cryptocurrency scam in the Columbus area. This marks the first victory for the specialized team, which was created to assist local law enforcement in tackling cyber financial crimes.
The scam targeted a 75-year-old woman from Worthington, Ohio, who was tricked into withdrawing $1,000 and depositing it into a bitcoin ATM after receiving a fraudulent computer message. Despite losing a total of $280,000, timely intervention from the BCI enabled the recovery of $130,000.
The BCI’s Electronic Fraud Investigations unit was established to address the growing complexity of cryptocurrency scams and electronic fraud, serving as a bridge between local and federal law enforcement. The collaboration with the Worthington Police Department led to the successful tracing and freezing of the stolen funds on the blockchain.
Attorney General Yost emphasized the ongoing efforts to educate the public about cryptocurrency scam risks, stating, “Education and prevention are the best deterrents for consumers against cryptocurrency scams.”