The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has returned $15,300 to a 63-year-old Allen County woman who was targeted in a 2024 tech-support scheme, according to a BCI media release.
Investigators said the woman received a pop-up alert on her computer that falsely claimed the device had been compromised and directed her to a phone number presented as a Microsoft help line. After she called, the person on the other end told her to withdraw funds, exchange them for cryptocurrency and transfer the money through a crypto ATM, the release states. Transactions of that kind generally cannot be reversed, and tracing them is difficult.
The woman contacted the FBI once she recognized the fraud, and the case was referred to BCI. Its Electronic Financial Investigations Unit traced and froze the funds, then coordinated with the Allen County Prosecutor's Office on a search warrant to recover the entire sum, BCI said.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, whose office oversees BCI, said crypto kiosks are a preferred instrument for fraudsters and called for state-level action. Allen County Prosecutor Destiny Caldwell credited the joint effort with returning the full amount.
BCI reported that its financial investigations unit, established in 2024, has helped law enforcement in 309 fraud cases linked to crypto ATMs, with $5.6 million in losses and an average victim loss of $18,767. The bureau advises reporting suspected scams to local police immediately.