A resident of Chippewa Trail in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, has fallen victim to a sophisticated phone and bitcoin scam, resulting in a loss of approximately $165,000. The incident was reported to the police on November 5 by the affected individual, who recounted a disturbing series of events that began with a persistent phone call from someone identifying themselves as “AJ,” a representative purportedly from Microsoft.
During these calls, which occurred every 15 minutes, the scammer claimed that the resident’s Social Security number had been compromised and listed on the dark web. In a manipulative tactic, AJ warned the resident about potential hacks on their bank accounts, suggesting that intervention was necessary for a fee to prevent any further damage.
The scam escalated when AJ instructed the resident to purchase Apple gift cards in various denominations—ranging from $500 to $4,000. Following this directive, the resident complied, buying multiple gift cards before photographing the back of each card, which contained the activation codes, and sending these images directly to the scammer via text message.
Not long after, the resident received a call from a second individual, who impersonated an employee from Fifth Third Bank. This fake banker informed the resident that their bank account had been compromised and directed them to transfer additional funds to resolve the supposed issue. Under this duress, the resident converted cash into bitcoin and made transactions using bitcoin ATMs located in Middleburg Heights and Parma.
Authorities have since investigated the phone numbers used by the scammers, only to discover that they were untraceable, not linked to any known individual or legitimate business. The police continue to urge residents to exercise caution and recognize the signs of scams, which often involve high-pressure tactics and requests for unusual payment methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency.
