LaSalle police are looking into a series of complaints that involved over a million dollars lost to fraud.
Over the past month, investigators checked out at least three complaints. In the first two, police were called after victims reported sending large amounts of money through an online cryptocurrency brokerage that turned out to be fraudulent.
"Once they tried to withdraw their seemingly rapidly growing investments, they were repeatedly instructed to send more funds to process the withdrawal 'fees'" said Senior Constable Terry Seguin. "The victims never received their investment money and were now also out the 'fees' that they paid to receive their money."
In the third incident, the victim received an unsolicited email requesting fees after the victim won a lottery, with prizes that included $1-million and a new vehicle. Despite the victim sending payment through prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, and bank deposits, not one nickel of money was received by the victim.
"Remember, if you didn’t enter a lottery, how could you have won?" said Seguin. "How did they get your information? Did you provide it on a lottery entry?"
While police continue to investigate all of these complaints, investigators are reminding people that wire transfers and cryptocurrency funds are difficult to recover. If you become a victim of one of these schemes, chances are slim that you'll get your money back.
If you receive a call from someone offering a deal on cryptocurrency investment, and you did not initiate it, hang up. If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service immediately.
