Bitcoin scam artist investigated for impersonating police officer

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are investigating two Bitcoin (BTC) scams in Strathcona County, Alberta, Canada. They claim that the fraudsters are impersonating local authorities in order to extort money from victims.

One victim received a call from someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), The Sherwood Park News reported on June 16. Another victim said the scammer claimed to be the RCMP.

Deposit money into a Bitcoin kiosk

The authorities report states that two unidentified Alberta residents were asked to withdraw cash from their banks and deposit it into a Bitcoin kiosk. They were told that if they did not pay the money, the scammers would arrest them.

Victims who were contacted by fake CRA representatives lost nearly $12,000 CAD ($8,836 USD) to this scam.

The fake RCMP told another victim that his insurance number had been compromised and that there were multiple fraud charges against him. The scammers asked the victim to withdraw money from the bank and then deposit it into a Bitcoin kiosk, as in the other case.

Total amount lost in the scam

The RCMP said individuals have lost a total of more than 21,000 Canadian dollars (15,460 U.S. dollars) in this scam. They warned people to contact the RCMP immediately if they encounter suspicious, seemingly fraudulent extortion attempts. They also noted that citizens can check the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website for information.

Chantelle Kelly, RCMP with Strathcona County, commented:

“Under no circumstances will the police contact individuals to ask for Bitcoin. These scammers typically contact hundreds of people in the hope that someone will wire them the money.”

On May 2, Cointelegraph reported a series of scam emails from Japan asking people to donate Bitcoin to the Tokyo Olympic Games organization. (Cointelegraph Chinese)