Elderly Wilkes-Barre woman scammed out of $25K in Bitcoin fraud scheme

Wilkes-Barre, PA — A 79-year-old woman lost $25,000 after falling victim to a scam that convinced her to transfer cash to a Bitcoin account controlled by the suspect, according to police.

On Friday at approximately 5:00 p.m., the woman entered City Headquarters on Kidder Street to report the incident. She told officers she had received an alarming message on her computer warning that her bank account had been compromised. The message included a phone number and instructed her to call immediately.

When the victim made the call, she was told by the person on the other end that her account had been accessed by hackers and needed to be protected by transferring funds to a “secure” Bitcoin account. The scammer then provided detailed instructions on how to withdraw the money and use a Bitcoin ATM to complete the transaction.

Following those directions, the woman transferred a total of $25,000 in cash to the suspect’s Bitcoin wallet.

The victim realized she had been scammed after the transaction was complete and no further contact could be made with the suspect. The case is now under investigation, and officials have not yet identified the person behind the fraud.

Bitcoin-based scams continue to pose challenges for law enforcement due to the difficulty of tracing cryptocurrency transactions once completed.

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Key Points

A 79-year-old Wilkes-Barre woman lost $25,000 in a Bitcoin scam
She was tricked into transferring funds after receiving a fake alert about her bank account
The suspect remains unidentified as police continue to investigate

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Chris Quigley is a Staff Writer and Community News Correspondent for Shore News Network, where she covers local government, public safety, community affairs, politics, and issues impacting residents throughout New Jersey. Her reporting focuses on delivering timely, accurate, and relevant news that helps readers stay informed about the communities in which they live and work.

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Chris Quigley is a graduate of Stockton State University and began her career at IN Jersey, the online news and media branch of the Asbury Park Press. She also worked at Monmouth Internet, the Ocean Signal Newspaper, and JTOWN Magazine during her career in both content management and operations.

Degrees: Business B.A. - Stockton University

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