NORFOLK — Chief Timothy Heinz reports that Norfolk Police are in the process of helping a resident recover several thousand dollars following a $10,000 crypto scam related to a string of email scams.
In September, a Norfolk resident received an email from PayPal requesting $1,099.99, followed by “Don’t recognize the seller? Please contact us immediately at +1(888) 884-0943 (toll free). If you do not reach out, we will proceed with the transaction.”
Ultimately, through a series of convincing techniques and visible transactions on the victim’s computer, the victim deposited $9,900 into a Bitcoin Depot ATM machine on a Friday afternoon.
The following Monday morning, the victim contacted Norfolk Police to report the incident.
Police immediately forwarded the transaction information and destination Wallet ID to CNC Intelligence, a company that has traced cryptocurrency transactions for Norfolk Police in the past. Police also sent the information to the FBI.
Norfolk Police Detectives Sgt. Jimmy Meneses and James Lorusso orchestrated the investigation that led to identifying the location of the funds in multiple countries and retrieving $3,731.33 of the victim’s funds.
“Thanks to the hard work of Detective Sgt. Meneses and Detective Lorusso on this investigation, we were able to recover a significant amount of money for this resident,” Chief Heinz said. “I would like to urge everyone to familiarize themselves with these scams so that no one else falls victim to them.”
In 2024, the Norfolk Police Department investigated a string of email scams that start off from account-based platforms, including PayPal, Amazon, Microsoft, and Venmo, and involve a “fraudulent transaction” attached to your account.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers the following information about cryptocurrency and blackmail scams:
- Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency. Businesses or government entities will never demand you send cryptocurrency.
- Scammers often impersonate well-known companies, or familiar phone numbers to build trust and deceive individuals. They might use a real name, such as the Social Security Administration, the IRS, Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations.
- Scammers pressure you to act immediately. They might tell you not to hang up so you can’t check out their story. They might threaten to arrest you, sue you, take away your driver’s or business license, or deport you. They might say your computer is about to be corrupted.
- Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way. They often insist that you pay by sending money through a money transfer company or by putting money on a gift card and then giving them the number on the back. Some will send you a check (that will later turn out to be fake), tell you to deposit it, and then send them money.
The Norfolk Police Department urges residents who believe they are victims of these scams to call 508-528-3206 to report them to the police.
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