Walton County, Fla. (WMBB) — The Walton County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a 77-year-old woman last weekend.
She says it started with an unsolicited call from someone who claims it would represent the bank. They instructed her to withdraw $129,500 from her bank account and deposit it into a local Bitcoin ATM machine commonly found at convenience stores.
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“Unfortunately, she made the transaction. It was too late at that point. As we know, once the transaction is complete, Bitcoin is almost gone. There’s no way to recover it.” Ted Torde, Walton County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Specialist.
As the machine warns, all Bitcoin transactions are irreversible. The victim is unlikely to get the money back.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office’s Crime Prevention Division frequently sees frauds like this, but no fraud of this size is seen.
“I have to say it’s probably the biggest scam I’ve had in the county,” Toedte said.
They are actively working on the case and say the suspect is likely from overseas.
“These cases leave the county because they don’t actually come from within the county. Sometimes they do from overseas. So it’s really difficult to investigate these types of cases at the local level.” Toedte said.
Scammers use fear, trust and greed to manipulate victims. They prey on older people.
“You know in general you know, they saved a lot of money. They’ve worked for a lifetime. When our seniors are not informed, a good target for these con artists “Tode said.
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Toedte says the best way to stay safe from fraud is to stay educated. The Sheriff’s Office has launched a program called The Ray of Hope Senior Coalition to educate the public to avoid fraud.
The programme will be participating this Thursday at 11am at Defuniak Springs’ Life Redichment Center. If you are interested in attendance, you can call (850) 892-8746.
