CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A half a million dollars worth of cryptocurrency belonging to a North Carolina man has been recovered after an investigation by the United States Attorney General's Office.
Scammers pretending to be federal investigators called the elderly Asheville resident, the actual investigators have determined. The scammers deceived the man, who has not been publicly identified, into buying 12.164699 of bitcoin worth $574,766. The cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, and the FBI identified the transaction as possible elder financial fraud.
"Thankfully, in this instance, the fraud was detected quickly and the stolen funds will be returned to the victim. Unfortunately, the majority of these cases do not share a similar ending," U.S. Attorney Dena King said Tuesday in a released statement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bain-Creed, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, handled the civil forfeiture proceedings.
"I urge everyone to learn how to spot imposter scams and help warn others," King said.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to the Defenders team by emailing money@wcnc.com.
Avoiding financial scams
Officials provided these tips to avoid being a victim of financial scams:
- Don’t share personal information with anyone you don’t know.
- Don’t pay a fee for a prize or lottery winning.
- Don’t click on pop-up ads or messages.
- Delete phishing emails and ignore harassing phone calls or texts.
- Don’t send gift cards, checks or money orders, wire money, make cryptocurrency payments or give your bank account information to a stranger.
- Don’t fall for a high-pressure sales pitch or a lucrative business deal.
- If a scammer approaches you, take the time to talk to a friend or family member.
- Keep in mind that if you send money once, you’ll be a target for life.
- Remember, it’s not rude to say, “NO.”
- A good rule of thumb is, if it’s too good to be true, it’s likely a scam. If
If you have been contacted by a scammer or believe you have fallen victim to a scam please file a report with:
- The Justice Department’s Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-Fraud-11 (1-833-372-8311).
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) via their website or by calling 877–FTC–HELP (877-382-4357).
- The FBI