Scammers Defraud East Lyme Woman Of $60K: Police

EAST LYME, CT — Police said people should be aware of fraud after a woman lost $60,000 in a scam. A relative of a senior citizen contacted police in August.

The relative told police that their family member had received a call from a person who said there had been fraudulent charges on the senior's bank account. The caller then transferred the senior to an "attorney" who provided them with instructions on how to repay the fraudulent charges.

The "attorney" told the senior to travel to their bank and withdraw a certain amount of money. The "attorney" also told the senior not to speak to anyone, including the police, about this request.

The senior was told to travel to a location in southeastern Connecticut and use a Bitcoin Depot machine to convert the cash to Bitcoin, which was then to be uploaded to a digital wallet.

The senior was contacted by the “attorney” on three additional occasions, who advised them to travel to different branches of their bank and make additional withdrawals and conversions to Bitcoin, according to police.

In total, about $60,000 was transferred in this fraud. The police have not yet positively identified those involved in the scam or their country of origin.

However, police obtained multiple seizure warrants and with assistance from other agencies tracked down a large portion of the funds. Police were able to seize about $40,000 of the various cryptocurrencies, mostly Bitcoin, with assistance from other agencies.

Police warned residents to be vigilant as these scams are common

"Unfortunately, we receive reports almost daily from individuals who are contacted by scammers looking to victimize people," police said in a statement. "In some cases, victims are told to purchase and transfer gift cards, in others they are told to give cash to couriers, and in others asked for banking information. Victims are told the money is due to fraud on their accounts, and in some others for relatives either injured or in legal trouble."

Police said that residents should "always keep themselves and their accounts safe, and use extreme caution when contacted and told to provide any funding to individuals."

Residents can contact police if they have any concerns about a potential scam.