Our Financial Crimes team continues to manage numerous reports of bill payment fraud. The fraudsters are persistent, convincing and, dare we suggest … clever.
No reputable business or utility will demand that you pay an outstanding bill through gift cards or cryptocurrency.
Should someone call you to make such a demand:
- Just hang up, and if you are concerned, call the customer service number on your most recent bill or on your credit card to inquire about the status of your account.
Investigators have seen an increase in fraudsters using cryptocurrency to steal and hide their illicit funds. The decentralized system allows money to move around the world with limited oversight.
Unlike other payment methods, which can offer some forms of fraud protection, when cryptocurrency is sent, there's no way to reverse the transaction, and the paper trail lacks any identifying information.
Never deposit cryptocurrency into accounts you do not control.