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According to the New York Police Department, the number of people trapped by Bitcoin and other badets as a result of a phone scam has soared in 2019. He estimates that a huge amount of $ 2 million was fraudulently obtained from residents of the city.
The responsible scam seems to imply a cold call from a real person or an IA operator claiming to be coming from social services. It is amazing that the scam has been so successful, given its fundamental nature and the fact that payment is requested in crypto mode!
New day, new Bitcoin scam
An article published by The Next Web indicates that the New York Police Department has been inundated with reports that people would be cheated by a rather simplistic phone scam in which fraudsters would be asking for bitcoins, online gift cards, and more. Other unconventional payment methods after claiming to come from social services.
The NYPD has released a video warning citizens against phone scams:
According to law enforcement, the scam implies that the victim receives a phone call, apparently from officials of the Social Security Administration. By usurping the organization, the police or the identity of the call of another government agency, the fraudsters make the appeal more legitimate.
They continue by informing the victim that her social security number has been suspended for any reason or that she has been involved in a serious criminal case – such as international drug trafficking. Alternative versions of the same scam would tell victims that their bank account has been frozen or seized, or that there is a warrant for arrest against them.
The call is then often transferred to a supposed top police official who tries to scare the victim by telling him that the only way to fix the situation is to send him bitcoins, buy Apple gift vouchers or Google Play , or send them to FedEx in cash. . This is, of course, a mbadive red flag and it is hard to believe that anyone could believe that the preferred payment method of the Social Security Administration is Bitcoin or an online gift card.
That said, the scam is obviously successful. The NYPD reports that about 2 million dollars were defrauded by the victims. Examples of such reports to the ministry have also exploded. While there were only three similar fraud complaints made in 2018, there have already been 200.
Nilda Hofmann, NYPD Community Affairs Officer, said:
"Sophisticated phone scams use the trust that victims have in their own government and law enforcement agencies. Victims of this type of phone scam are not limited to the elderly. These criminals target all sectors of society and all demographic groups are vulnerable. "
Although bitcoin is often used as a means of payment in similar scams, such criminal activity represents a tiny percentage of all Bitcoin transactions. A report published in April 2018 revealed that less than 1% of BTC's transactions were related to a crime.
Related reading: A familiar bitcoin swindle swindles Dutch investors $ 1.9 million or more
Featured image of Shutterstock.
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