Lakeville, Raynham Police Successfully Prevent $20,000 Bitcoin Scam Targeting Lakeville Resident

Lakeville and Raynham Police prevented a Lakeville resident from sending $20,000 to a scammer through this Bitcoin Depot machine in Raynham on Thursday. (Photo Courtesy Lakeville Police Department)

LAKEVILLE — Chief Matthew Perkins reports that the Lakeville Police Department, in partnership with the Raynham Police Department, successfully intervened in an active scam on Thursday, preventing a resident from losing $20,000 to a scammer.

Thanks to concerned family, the quick investigative work of Lakeville Police Detective Robert Schiffer, and fast coordination with Raynham officers, the victim was stopped just moments before she deposited the cash into a Bitcoin ATM — while still on the phone with the scammer, who was giving her step-by-step instructions.

On Thursday, May 29, shortly before 2 p.m., the victim’s family visited the Lakeville Police Department, concerned that their relative — a 73-year-old Lakeville woman — was being scammed. The woman had withdrawn $20,000 in cash from her bank account and was not answering phone calls.

The investigation revealed that a scammer had contacted the woman and convinced her that her computer was infected with a virus. The scammer claimed that the only way to protect her money was to withdraw it and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM.

The scammer also instructed her not to answer any phone calls, including those from family members.

Detective Schiffer determined that the woman’s vehicle was likely headed toward Raynham and contacted the Raynham Police Department to be on the lookout.

Lakeville Police responded to Raynham as Raynham Police officers began checking local Bitcoin ATM locations, finding the vehicle at Coletti’s Market on North Main Street. Both Lakeville and Raynham Police intervened while she was still on the phone with the scammer, successfully preventing the transaction from being completed.

“This case is a powerful reminder of how sophisticated and manipulative these scams have become,” said Chief Perkins. “Thanks to fast detective work, interagency cooperation — including the quick response from Raynham Police — and vigilant family, we were able to stop this in time. If not for those combined efforts, the victim could have lost ​a​ significant amount of money.”

Scam Prevention Tips

The Lakeville Police Department provides the following safety tips from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help residents recognize and prevent scams such as Bitcoin scams, which have stolen millions of dollars in cash from residents statewide:

• Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know. They might use a real name, like the Social Security Administration, the IRS, or Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations.
• Scammers say there’s a problem or prize. They might say you’re in trouble with the government, that you owe money, that someone in your family had an emergency, or that there’s a virus on your computer. Some scammers say there’s a problem with one of your accounts and that you need to verify some information. Others will lie and tell you that you won money in a lottery or sweepstakes, but have to pay a fee to get it.
• Scammers pressure you to act immediately. They might tell you not to hang up, so you can’t check out their story. They might threaten to arrest you, sue you, take away your driver’s or business license, or deport you. They might say your computer is about to be corrupted.
• Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way. They often insist that you pay by sending money through Bitcoin, a money transfer service, or by loading money onto a gift card and then providing them with the card number on the back. Some will send you a check (which will later turn out to be fake), instruct you to deposit it, and then ask you to send them the money.

The FTC also recommends that if you get an email or text message from a company you do business with, and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy, or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.

Residents who believe they may have fallen victim to such a scam or suspect they are communicating with would-be scammers are encouraged to contact the Lakeville Police Department immediately at 508-947-4422.

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