WESTLAKE, Ohio — Bitcoin and imposter scammers are targeting people in Northeast Ohio. Recently, there was a problem in Westlake that nearly cost a senior citizen thousands in cash, but thankfully, there are people like a local store clerk ready to step in.
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"I have a lady up here attempting to be scammed,” said Rose Crumbley on her 911 call to police late last week.
She was stocking shelves when she saw an 85-year-old woman standing at her store’s Bitcoin machine while on the phone.
"And I told her if you put any money in that machine, you’re not going to get it back,” said Crumbley. “She’s like, 'No, it’s my bank.' And I said, 'No, it’s not your bank.'”
HOW THE SCAM STARTED, WHAT THEY SAID
When Westlake police arrived, the potential victim said she got a text message saying there were some charges on her Apple account. When she called the number in the text, the crooks said they were going to help her.
"We’re going to call, and we’re going to get these canceled,” the woman told police. “So, they make it like they’re really working for me.”
The scammers told her they were investigating the supposed charges, and she needed to withdraw $18,000 in cash to help them.
"They said, 'Don’t say anything to anyone because then they’ll find out we’re checking on them and they won’t keep following through,'” the woman told police.
"Scammers feed them all this information because they know they’re going to get questioned,” said Capt. Jerry Vogel from Westlake police.
He told us it’s great when people in the community intervene to help.
“The good Samaritans out there … they don’t want to see an elderly person get scammed and lose all kinds of money,” said Vogel.
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WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So, let’s find out ahead of time what some of these red flags are when it comes to imposter scams from the folks at the Cleveland Better Business Bureau.
"You have to think, is this true? Is this somebody trying to take advantage of me? Is it possible?” said Ericka Dilworth, who is the vice president of operations at the Cleveland BBB.
She said when you get a message, as the woman did, verify what it says, like checking with your local bank or asking a loved one for help, even if the person contacting you said not to do that.
"They don’t want you to do your homework,” said Dilworth. “They don’t want you to get off the phone. And they don’t want you to ask those questions that make you pause.”
Be careful of the way they want you to pay, either through gift cards or digital means.
"Certainly, cryptocurrency … it’s almost … even for the trained person … you can’t follow it, the money,” said Dilworth.
Also, report all scams to police, the BBB, the Federal Trade Commission, or the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, even if you didn’t lose any money. Authorities gather those kinds of incidents, trying to connect the dots on who’s committing the crimes.
WHY DID SHE INTERVENE?
Crumbley said there’s a good team at the store watching out for these kinds of situations. They’ve stopped other people from getting scammed at the Bitcoin machine.
One reason she steps in is personal.
"I had a relative who was scammed several years back,” said Crumbley.
The other reason is just that it’s the right thing to do.
"It’s sad. There’s too much of this going on,” said Crumbley. “We have to look out for each other, especially our seniors, our elderly. We just really have to look out for each other.”
