(Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND — A Gas Island was scammed into sending over $2,000 in Bitcoin to a person she believed was the owner of the gas station on Thursday, April 17.
According to the Grand Island Police Department, at 8:20 p.m., officers responded to the Sinclair/Gas Island location on N. Webb Road for the report of fraud.
Officers contacted an female employee who stated that she had received a call from who she believed was the owner of Gas Island and they asked her to deposit $2,810 from Gas Island to a Bitcoin ATM.
The case is open and under investigation.
“Crypto ATMs are increasingly being used by scammers to steal money, particularly targeting vulnerable individuals like seniors. The scam involves a scammer creating a sense of urgency, often impersonating a legitimate authority, and directing the victim to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM. The scammer then instructs the victim to scan a QR code, which transfers the funds directly to the scammer’s crypto wallet, making it difficult to recover,” according to the Federal Trade Commission.
