Another crypto scam is in the books. A 50-year-old cleaner in Canada named Jocelyn has been cheated out of her entire life savings after being convinced to send her crypto funds to fraudulent parties.
How a Canadian Cleaner Fell Victim to a Crypto Scam
Jocelyn worked for Sean Moore, a semi-retired lobbyist who spoke on her behalf. Discussing the crypto scam, he stated:
It’s a tragedy in this particular case, a scandal in the broader one.
Jocelyn had roughly $10,000 in crypto assets that she had saved up throughout the years. She came to Canada from the Philippines roughly eight years ago to give herself and her daughter a better life. She worked several jobs as a cleaner and put away everything she could.
One specific day – which at first seemed normal – turned into one that will likely affect her for years to come. She was working, like normal, when suddenly her phone started to ring. She answered it and spoke with a woman who claimed that her social security number had been obtained by hackers who were working in a drug and money laundering scheme.
The woman said that Jocelyn was required to provide her social security number so that the authorities could verify who she was. Once that was done, she was instructed to empty whatever financial accounts she had open so that the hackers could not obtain her money. She must act quickly, as she was allegedly being monitored regularly and they needed the funds fast to prevent an arrest warrant from going out.
Sadly, Jocelyn did not realize that this was all part of an elaborate scam. She was then directed to a nearby bitcoin ATM where she could transfer the money. After this was done, the person on the phone said that Jocelyn would get her money back once everything was potentially verified and the police could get the records straight.
This never happened. She told her employer what had occurred, who was certain she had been scammed. They visited the machine and spoke with staff to see about having it paused for the time being to ensure that the funds could not be moved. By this time, it was too late, and sadly, there was no sympathy from the store staff, who described the establishment as simply a “landlord.” The bitcoin ATM was merely a “tenant,” and the store did not assume any responsibly for what had happened.
We’re Not Assuming Any Responsibility
General manager Paul Wiseman explained in a statement that the ATM had had a warning placed on its front telling people of potential scams, and to think twice should they ever encounter a call or situation that raised any red flags or rung any bells. He has stated:
I don’t think we should be held accountable for people who have been warned… People are responsible for their own actions.