The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A woman from Clearwater, Florida, was the alleged victim of a telephone scam that cost her $113,000.
According to reports, a 73-year-old woman recently received a call from a man claiming to be a federal agent. He had an Indian accent, and he reportedly informed her that her bank accounts were under attack. He let her know that transferring her funds to an escrow account was the only way to protect them and said he could help her do that. The victim was allegedly instructed to withdraw $17,760 and convert it to Bitcoin using a QR code provided by the caller.
After the initial transaction, the man reportedly called back and told the woman to withdraw more money in the amount of $46,000. A male came to her home to collect the cash, and when he used a code word they previously agreed upon, she thought he could be trusted. A third transaction allegedly took place, and she handed over another $50,000 in cash to the same person.