MAYS LANDING — The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office is advising the public to be cautious of cryptocurrency scams during International Fraud Week.
This scam is a type of investment fraud that involves criminals stealing money from those hoping to invest in digital currency, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a public service announcement Nov. 4 to warn the public of fraudulent schemes, leveraging cryptocurrency ATMs and Quick Response (QR) codes to facilitate payment. The agency says it has seen an increase in scammers directing victims to use physical cryptocurrency ATMs and digital QR codes to complete payment transactions.
The FBI suggests taking various measures to prevent falling victim to scams, such as not sending money to someone spoken to over the internet only, even if someone believes they hold a relationship with the caller, or denying a calling from an unknown telephone number.
Those who believe they have experienced a scam can report it through various means, such as the Federal Trade Commission, at reportfraud.ftc.gov, or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, at sec.gov/tcr.
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