Ohio's Bureau Of Criminal Investigation Successfully Recovered IDR 2 Billion Funds From Crypto Fraud Victims

Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation managed to recover Rp2 billion from victims of crypto fraud (Photo; Doc. Daily Jeff)

JAKARTA - The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) launched an Electronic Fraud Investigation Unit aimed at eradicating crypto fraud. This unit has just scored its first success by recovering 130 thousand US Dollars (Rp2 billion) from a crypto fraud case. This success is not only an achievement for BCI, but also provides new hope for victims of crypto scams across states.

As reported by News Bitcoin, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, announced that this special unit succeeded in helping a 75-year-old woman from Worthington, Ohio, who was a victim of crypto fraud. The woman lost a total of 280 thousand US Dollars (Rp4.3 billion) after being tricked into withdrawing money from her account and depositing it to a Bitcoin ATM. This fraudulent mode involves sending fake messages to the victim's computer, which asks her to transfer some money via a Bitcoin ATM.

After a series of transactions made by the victim, the fraudster managed to access personal information and the victim's bank account, causing further losses. However, the rapid intervention of the BCI investigative unit allowed the tracking and freezing of part of the funds on the blockchain, which resulted in a recovery of US$130,000 (Rp2 billion).

This Electronic Fraud Investigation Unit was formed to bridge cooperation between local and federal law enforcement in dealing with increasingly complex cybercrimes, especially crypto-related. Collaboration with the Worthington Police is very important in tracking and recovering funds from this scam. This success is proof of the unit's effectiveness in handling cases of increasingly sophisticated crypto fraud.

In addition to law enforcement, the Ohio Attorney General's office is also committed to increasing public education about the risks of crypto fraud. "Education and prevention are key to protecting consumers from crypto fraud," said Yost.

Along with the increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies, fraud related to digital assets is also increasingly widespread. Victims, especially the elderly, are often the main targets of cybercriminals because of their lack of understanding of technology and cryptocurrencies. According to a report from CipherTrace, during 2023, the total loss due to crypto fraud worldwide reached more than 4.5 billion US Dollars (Rp70 trillion).