KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — A 70-year-old woman from Kill Devil Hills was scammed out of nearly $30,000, according to police.
The Kill Devil Hills Police Department said that on Nov. 14, a 70-year-old woman was browsing the internet when a warning window alerted her about a virus on her computer. The pop-up advised her to call 877-659-4753 or 877-594-1055.
The victim called one of the numbers given and spoke with a person on the phone impersonating a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officer. The victim was transferred to another person who said they were a federal officer named Jason Roy.
Police said the fake officer told the woman that she was the "subject of ongoing conspiracy and drug-related investigations as well as investigations into money laundering and filing false financial reports."
The scammer then told the victim to pay a fine for the offenses. Ultimately, she withdrew $29,000 from her accounts and transferred the money to Bitcoin accounts using a QR code provided to her by the fake agents.
“There’s no law enforcement agency, federal, state or local level, that’s going to call you and ask you to pay a fine over the phone and use a green dot card or pay in Bitcoin or anything like that," said Capt. John Towler of the Kill Devil Hills Police Department.
Her bank wasn't able to reimburse her for the loss. Police said it is impossible to trace the transactions and they couldn't help her.
“Prevention is our best weapon and the only way you're going to prevent it is for people to be aware," said Towler.
Kill Devil Hills police are sounding the alarm for people in the community!
Towler says they’re seeing different kinds of scams, including this one, where criminals pretend to be officers of the law.
“If you did not commit the crimes that they are accusing of [...] that should be a red flag," he said.
Towler is urging people to call police as soon as they think something is unusual … or too good to be true.
Scammers are tricking Americans out of more money than ever before. In 2022, consumers nationwide reported being tricked out of $8.8 billion. The Federal Trade Commission said it’s a 30 percent increase from the year before.
In the news release, police went on to say that "the number of local victims tricked by scammers is heartbreaking and disheartening. No matter how many warnings and cautionary tales are circulated about unscrupulous individuals and their methods, there are still people falling prey to the scams. And so, we are appealing to family members, clerks, cashiers, tellers and others in similar positions to help look after folks, particularly seniors."
Cyber crimes and fraud can be reported online to the FBI on their website.