圣约翰斯发现涉及比特币的电话诈骗

圣约翰斯发现涉及比特币的电话诈骗

Your phone rings. It’s an area code you don’t recognize. When you pick up, the scare tactics start, pushing you to part with your money — or face the consequences.

While that scam sounds familiar, a variation has surfaced in St. John’s that blends the old con with new technology: bitcoins.

In a recording of one such scam obtained by the CBC, the call begins with the claim it’s coming from the Canada Revenue Agency. A warrant for the victim’s arrest is imminent, with “strong evidence” that the victim has knowingly misfiled their taxes.

“The audit department has got strong evidence that this was not an innocent act on occasions and this was willful act done with the intent to defraud the CRA,” the unidentified caller said.

To avoid the consequences — an expensive legal battle or lengthy prison sentence — the caller instructs their intimidated victim to convert cash into cryptocurrency via a bitcoin ATM and send it their way.

Yes B’y’s and bitcoins

That directive has sent victims to one of the few bitcoin ATMs in the province, in Yes B’y’s, a bar in downtown St. Johns.

Tara O’Reilly, the bar’s owner, said a phone call two weeks ago gave her the heads-up that something shady was going on.

The man on the other end of the line had been told to go to Yes B’y’s and convert $5,000 cash into bitcoin through her ATM in order to take care of his back taxes.

“When we found out this was happening, we decided to take the best course of action possible. So we did go to the police,” O’Reilly said.

Since then, she said she has intercepted several other potential victims, who have all entered the bar on the cell phone and approached the ATM with a large amount of cash. Even one of her employees almost fell victim to the scam.

“I just felt like it was the right thing to do,” said O’Reilly.

“I wanted to make sure that people knew that Yes B’y’s is not in any way associated with this scam.”

Police are aware of the bitcoin scam, although they say there haven’t been any specific complaints filed about it just yet.

“Most of the ones [complaints] that we receive here at the RNC have to do with the phone scams; and they’ll get you to go out and purchase iTunes cards or Amazon cards,” said Sgt. Mike Summers of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit.

Summers said regardless of the scenario, the CRA will always send a formal letter to get in touch.

Cryptocurrency criminals

One cryptocurrency expert isn’t surprised bitcoin is being used for crime.

“With a rise in anything’s popularity, criminals are always gonna be there,” said Ray Bursey, the CEO and president of Ghost Technologies, the company that owns the bitcoin ATM at Yes B’ys.

Bursey says while many scammers assume that the cryptocurrencies are untraceable, that’s not the case — although following the accounts bitcoins are sent to can be a difficult task.

“The addresses you’re sending to, they don’t have names attached to them. Much like your gGmail account could be fluffybunny@gmail.com, it doesn’t have your name … It’s pseudonymous,” Bursey explained.

Bursey said while there’s nothing to stop people from creating as many accounts as they want, if the same account used by a scammer includes any personal information, such as details from an online transaction like Amazon, that gives investigators a lead to pin down the fraudster.

According to Bursey, awareness is the best defence.

“Like anything, do your due diligence,” Bursey said.

Think it through, and you know what? Google it.”&nbsp

本文来自CBC News。本文观点不代表Chinese Students at MUN立场,转载请联系原作者。

出处:https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/bitcoin-scam-st-johns-1.4714383

(0)
上一篇 2018年6月20日 上午1:31
下一篇 2018年6月20日 下午9:45

相关推荐

  • 加拿大国际留学生学费上涨 中国学生直呼读不起

    据加拿大《明报》报道,加拿大安省滑铁卢大学、多伦多大学、约克大学等华人青睐的大学近日纷纷上调国际留学生学费,在读中国留学生无奈表示﹐现在上学成本愈来愈高﹐只希望学校给留学生提供更多奖学金机会。 许多网友跟贴表示﹐现在加拿大的一些著名大学对于中国留学生来说﹐不仅是录取难﹐而且也很可能读不起了。 滑铁卢大学媒体联络部经理史密斯(Chris Wilson-Smit…

    2019年4月3日
    0
  • 圣约翰斯机场完成第一阶段扩建

    可由一楼直接进入新设的安检区,增加了候机座位,更多商家入驻 No more waving goodbye to Mom and Dad as you glide up the escalator to security at St. John’s International Airport. Four years of construction …

    2018年6月27日
    0
  • Starbucks Rewards星巴克积分兑换调整

    我们之前分享过如何玩转加拿大星巴克积分(星星)的文章:用Tim Horton’s的价格来喝星巴克! 2019年4月16日起,Starbucks Rewards要有所调(贬)整(值)了—— 25 Stars (加东西) – Customize your drink 50 Stars (普通的咖啡、茶、烘焙产品) – Brewed hot…

    2019年3月19日
    0
  • 加拿大连发涉中国留学生电信诈骗案 中使馆吁防范

    【编者注】在加拿大有个”惯例“,一切”重要事宜“都是纸质信件或电子邮件通知。来自电子邮件的通知一定可以先通过官网登录或找寻case#继续操作(而非直接点击电子邮件内的链接)。不会有外国警官电话找到你”办案“或是”执法“。说中文(也可能先英文后中文)的自动语音电话均为诈骗。凡认知到这条”惯例“,一切电信诈骗就均对你无效。 中国侨网10月26日电 据中国驻加拿大…

    2021年10月26日
    0