A Westfield, NJ resident lost $16,000 in a sophisticated Bitcoin scam after receiving a text message claiming to be from Apple Support. According to Lieutenant Michael Walsh, the victim was directed to call a number that appeared legitimate. The scammer then warned of fraud on the victim’s bank account and provided another number—allegedly for the bank—which led to the actual theft. The victim was tricked into transferring funds into a Bitcoin account controlled by the scammer.
Police urge residents to never trust contact information from unsolicited texts or emails, and to verify support numbers directly from official websites. Legitimate companies never request payment via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or Apple Pay.