A NEWRY woman lost her life savings after being persuaded to take part in what she believed to be a cryptocurrency scheme.
The woman, who is aged in her 70s, initially invested small amounts of money into the scheme, which she found via an online advertisement.
She later made larger investments after being convinced by the fraudsters running the fake scheme that she needed to do so to ger her initial investment back.
After she unknowingly downloaded malware at the scammers’ instruction, they were able to gain control of her electronic devices and transfer further sums from her account.
“Our investigation to date indicates that this woman has, unfortunately, lost upwards of £250,000,” Detective Inspector Moffett, of the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch, said this week.
Superintendent Joanne Gibson, who is chair of the police force’s Scamwise Partnership, has urged the public to be vigilant to fraud.
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland will use every available resource to protect individuals and communities from the harm caused by fraud and exploitation but I would also ask family members to take the time to have a conversation with their family members about fraud in order to try and safeguard them against criminals,” she said.
“We know that this type of crime can have a far-reaching impact, but we can all work together to protect and prevent this from happening to those we care about,” she added.
“Fraudsters can be extremely convincing and use a variety of scenarios to make people believe them to be genuine. They are master manipulators.
“If you are concerned by the intent of a person involved with someone you care about, you can report to police on the non-emergency number 101. We will listen and we will act.
“Any abuse of that trust will be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
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See More: Cryptocurrency, Fraud, PSNI, Scammers
