The woman reported that she was contacted by phone by someone claiming to be with Apple Security, who said there was a $249.95 charge on her account. She was then directed to be transferred to someone claiming to represent a bank, where she was told she had an $22,800 charge tied to a virus from a “child porn site.” The caller instructed her to go to her bank, withdraw the money, and take it to a Bitcoin machine at 2140 W. Crawford to deposit it.
Before any money was placed in the machine, the cashier at the business intervened and warned the woman she was being scammed. The woman did not deposit funds and returned the money to her account before contacting police.
Salina Police commended the cashier and reminded residents that legitimate companies, including Apple or a bank, will not require people to send money through Bitcoin to resolve a problem. The department also urged citizens to speak with their bank or law enforcement before acting on such instructions.