Police: Beware of scam involving PayPal and Bitcoin
EUGENE, Ore. - The Eugene Police Department is warning of a scam involving PayPal and Bitcoin.
A Eugene woman was contacted by a scammer text claiming to be from "PayPal security." The text warned there was a problem with a recent transaction, which she had not made.
According to police:
When she called the number provided, the person at the other end advised they were transferring her on a secure line to her bank.
While speaking with the ‘bank’ she was asked to download a program allowing the scammer remote access to her computer. The person on the other end of the line then went looking around her computer for ‘problems’ and said there was a pending charge for $30,000 in Bitcoin.
She was advised to go to a Bitcoin ATM and deposit $30,000 into an account and provide photos of the receipt.
The woman lost $30,000 to the scam.
The Eugene Police Department would like to remind people to follow their instincts and never feel embarrassed about confirming the identity of a caller. This can be accomplished by contacting the represented agency directly via a published contact phone number and asking to speak with the individual directly or confirm the information with the agency’s non-emergency phone number.
Eugene Police recommends residents be skeptical of callers and offers these tips:
- If someone asks you for your cash, credit card numbers or other personal information-especially if you don’t know them well-the safest move is to refuse their request and check with the police, or find an independent way to contact a legitimate business and follow up rather than responding right away to the caller.
- Don’t give out personal or financial information to someone who calls you. If you are unsure, hang up and independently find the phone number of the alleged represented agency and call yourself. A law enforcement agency will not ask you for this type of information or request that money be sent by way of money order for any reason.
- Beware of high pressure techniques, such as the need to give information or make a decision on the spot.
- If it sounds quirky or weird, it probably is.
If you receive a phone call and recognize that the call is a scam, please hang up immediately and report the information to www.ic3.gov.
If you are the victim of a scam and have incurred a loss, please call the EPD non-emergency at 541.682.5111.
A list of common scams is available on the Eugene Police Department website.
