FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield woman recently lost $7,000 to a Bitcoin scam, which has prompted Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras and the department to issue a warning to residents to be on the lookout for the scheme.
Police said the theft was reported on Nov. 22, when the woman told authorities that “she had sent $7,000 in Bitcoin currency to an unknown account prior to realizing” she had been swindled.
Bitcoin is a virtual-encrypted currency, and transactions are anonymous, according to Fairfield police.
“The resident stated that she had received a call from an unknown male claiming to work for the fraud department of an online retailer,” Kalamaras said in a statement. “He stated that fraud was detected on her account and informed her that she would have to transfer her money to a Bitcoin account. The resident was then purportedly ‘transferred’ to the Federal Trade Commission where she spoke to an officer who sent her pictures of their alleged credentials.”
According to Fairfield police, the victim received another call from a woman posing as a Fairfield police officer, who advised the resident to do what was asked of her. The number used by the fake officer spoofed the Fairfield Police Department’s number and had a Fairfield Police caller ID.
“The callers then instructed the resident to send them a photo of her driver’s license and empty her bank accounts, alleging they were compromised,” Kalamaras said. “The resident then took money out of her accounts and…
