A Courtenay senior is sharing her story in hopes of warning others after nearly losing $5,000 to a convincing cryptocurrency scam — one that was only stopped thanks to the instincts of a concerned store employee.
According to Comox Valley RCMP, the woman in her 70s received a phone call from someone claiming to work for her bank.
The caller told her that her identity had been stolen and her accounts were in danger. To “protect” her money, she was instructed to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM at a local business.
She followed the instructions and had already deposited $1,300 into the machine when the store employee noticed something was off and called police.
An officer arrived within minutes and found the woman still at the ATM, about to deposit the remaining $3,700 she had with her.
“We’re thankful the employee trusted their instincts and called us,” said Const. Monika Terragni, media relations officer for Comox Valley RCMP.
“This type of scam is designed to create fear and urgency. If you’re ever unsure, stop and talk to someone you trust — or call police directly.”
The woman says she chose to come forward to help prevent others from falling into the same trap.
“It felt real. The scammer knew personal details and made me believe my money wasn’t safe,” she said.
“I don’t want anyone else to go through this. If someone tells you to use a Bitcoin machine to fix a problem, it’s a scam.”
Police are still investigating and following up on leads. Unfortunately, once money is sent through a Bitcoin ATM, it’s extremely difficult to trace and nearly impossible to recover.
RCMP are reminding the public that no legitimate bank, police officer or government official will ever ask someone to deposit money into a cryptocurrency machine.
If you ever feel unsure about a call, hang up and contact your bank or local police using a trusted phone number.
