Middleburg Heights woman loses $15,000 in phone/bitcoin scam

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio – A Meadow Lane woman lost $15,000 through a phone scam.
The woman told police that on Feb. 14 she tried to download a “savings bond wizard” app onto her cell phone. Afterward, she received a phone alert from an entity she believed was Microsoft.
The woman called the number provided in the alert. She gave the person who answered the phone access to her banking information.
The fraudster told the woman that he transferred $15,000 from her bank account into a Bitcoin account. He told her the money would be safe there.
On Feb. 19, the woman went to her bank, where she discovered that the Bitcoin account was empty. The bank froze her accounts to prevent any further fraudulent activity.