$35K Recovered After Pop-up Bitcoin Scam Targets Victim and Sparks Statewide Probe
More than $35,000 has been recovered after a bitcoin scam targeted an elderly victim, signaling a major win for cybercrime investigators in Ohio.
Investigators with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) helped recover more than $35,000 for a woman in Hamilton County after she fell victim to a crypto scam, according to a Thursday announcement from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Delhi Township Police Chief Jeff Braun.
The recovery followed a cryptocurrency scam that targeted an elderly resident of Delhi Township in August 2024. “A 73-year-old Delhi Township woman received a pop-up message on her laptop saying the device had been hacked,” the authorities detailed. “The woman called a phone number she believed to be a Microsoft hotline and spoke to the scammer, who instructed her to withdraw money and convert it to bitcoin to fix her computer. In all, the scammer convinced the woman to send $41,750 in multiple transactions via a bitcoin ATM.”
After discovering the deception, the victim reported the incident to the Delhi Township Police Department, which then sought assistance from BCI’s Electronic Financial Investigations unit. The specialized team was able to identify the flow of funds, put a freeze on additional transfers, and work with legal authorities to pursue the scammers’ accounts. As a result of this coordinated effort, the majority of the funds were returned. The authorities stated:
Through search warrants and a court order, BCI ultimately recovered most of the stolen money, returning $35,600 to the victim this week.
Yost emphasized the importance of quick reporting: “This case illustrates the elaborate traps that crypto criminals use to scam their victims. Thankfully, because the victim notified authorities quickly, BCI was able to recover most of the stolen money.”
Chief Braun praised the effective collaboration with state investigators and the benefits it brings to local enforcement: “I greatly appreciate BCI’s swift and effective assistance in this case,” he stated. “Their expertise and collaborative approach in investigating electronic fraud and recovering stolen funds were invaluable to our department, and this partnership strengthens our ability to protect and support our community from scams like these.”