An Oak Bay resident is out $12,800 after clicking on a bogus computer link.
Oak Bay police said the resident clicked on a link called “Millionaire that died” and a second link opened that appeared to be from Microsoft. That link said the computer had been hacked.
A phone number was provided, and the resident called and spoke with a person they believed to be from the CIBC fraud department.
The resident was convinced to go to the bank, withdraw $12,800 and deposit it in three different bitcoin ATMs.
The resident eventually suspected the story was false and contacted the bank, learning they had been defrauded.
“This fraudster, like most fraudsters, was prepared with high-pressure tactics and had a very rehearsed and believable script,” police said. “If you believe you are being engaged over the phone in fraudulent activity, please stop, take a breath, hang up and contact your financial agency or the police.
“Reputable and legitimate financial institutions will not ask you to make multiple cash withdrawals and then make deposits into multiple bitcoin ATMs.”
The investigation is ongoing.
