According to PANews, investigators from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) have successfully assisted a victim in Hamilton County in recovering $35,000 lost to a cryptocurrency scam. The funds were traced back to an incident in August 2024 involving an elderly resident from Delhi Township.
Authorities detailed the scam, explaining that a 73-year-old woman from Delhi Township received a pop-up message on her laptop, claiming her device had been hacked. Believing she was contacting a Microsoft hotline, she called a number provided in the message and spoke with scammers. They instructed her to withdraw cash and convert it into Bitcoin to fix her computer. Ultimately, the victim transferred a total of $41,750 through a Bitcoin ATM in multiple transactions.
The recovery of the funds marks a significant success for the BCI in combating cryptocurrency-related fraud, highlighting the ongoing risks associated with digital currencies and the importance of vigilance among users.