A St. Thomas resident has lost $120,000 in a cryptocurrency scam.
St. Thomas police were contacted by the victim on Tuesday. They reported having made several transfers from their bank and other personal investments to a crypto currency company, believed to be fraudulent.
The payments were made between April and August of this year.
The St. Thomas Police Service continue to investigate.
Also on Tuesday, Middlesex County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a home in Adelaide Metcalfe, where a person reported being a victim of fraud.
In this instance, police found that the victim received a pop-up alert from Microsoft, indicating an update was ready for their computer with directions to call a phone number provided.
The victim said they called the number and was advised their firewall was expired and a payment was required. A fake firewall was purchased and installed.
"The following day, another individual posing as a Microsoft representative called to confirm everything was working well at which time access was granted to the victims' computer as well as banking information. The fraudsters then advised they inadvertently transferred funds into the victims account and demanded the money be paid back in Bitcoin," OPP said.
According to police, the victim transferred $35,000 in Bitcoin to the scammers.
The investigation is ongoing.
Police warn that it is imperative to verify any unsolicited requests before you respond or provide personal information. If you feel pressured, hang up the phone or delete the sender's profile.
More information about current scams can be found at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.
