Westlake Police Report $5,000 Cryptocurrency Scam Incident

Westlake, Ohio, a convenience store clerk alerted a police dispatcher on November 26 at 1:30 p.m. that a female customer was depositing large amounts of cash into a cryptocurrency ATM. The clerk warned the customer, a 71-year-old woman, that she was being scammed, but she did not believe the clerk.

When officers arrived, they found her anxiously continuing to deposit cash. Despite their presence, she remained on the phone with the scammer. The incident began earlier that morning when the victim received a pop-up message on her computer instructing her to call a support number due to a supposed issue with her operating system.

Upon calling, she connected with a man claiming to be a representative from Apple, who convinced her to grant remote access to her computer and asked for her bank information. The scammer fabricated a story about her being at risk of losing $18,000 in connection with pornographic websites from China or Mexico.

She was connected to a fake fraud department for her bank, where another scammer persuaded her to withdraw as much cash as possible from her bank. Following instructions, she fabricated a story about needing cash to buy a car.

The perpetrator kept her on the phone during her trips to the bank and the cryptocurrency ATM. Ultimately, she deposited approximately $5,500 into the ATM before officers were able to persuade her to stop.

The Westlake Detective Bureau is currently attempting to recover the lost funds.