NORFOLK — Norfolk Police Department is assisting a local resident in recovering thousands of dollars lost to a cryptocurrency scam that began with an email fraudulently claiming to be from PayPal.
In September, a resident received a scam email requesting $1,099.99 and providing a toll-free number for contact if the recipient did not recognize the seller.
The victim, fooled by the authenticity of the email, eventually deposited $9,900 into a Bitcoin Depot ATM on a Friday afternoon.
After realizing the scam, the individual reported the incident to the Norfolk Police on the following Monday morning.
The police quickly collaborated with CNC Intelligence, a firm specializing in tracing cryptocurrency transactions, and informed the FBI of the fraudulent activity.
Detectives Sgt.
Jimmy Meneses and James Lorusso led the investigation, successfully tracking down the location of the stolen funds across multiple countries and recovering $3,731.33 for the victim.
Chief Timothy Heinz praised the detectives’ efforts and stressed the importance of public awareness regarding such scams to prevent future victimization.
In the past year, the Norfolk Police Department has seen a series of email scams stemming from accounts impersonating major platforms like PayPal, Amazon, Microsoft, and Venmo, involving false transaction claims.
The Federal Trade Commission has warned that only scammers demand cryptocurrency payments, as legitimate businesses and government agencies will never ask for such transactions.
The FTC further explained that scammers often use high-pressure tactics, impersonate authority figures or familiar companies, and instruct victims to use specific payment methods to deceive and steal from unsuspecting individuals.
The Norfolk Police urge anyone suspecting they have fallen prey to such scams to contact them at 508-528-3206 to report the incident.
