Elderly woman loses £250k in cryptocurrency scam

An elderly woman has been defrauded out of her "life savings" in an online scam.

Police received a report on 21 May that a woman in her 70s from Newry had invested in a crypto-currency scheme she had seen advertised online.

"Our investigation to date indicates that this woman has, unfortunately, lost upwards of £250,000," the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.

Det Insp Moffett of the Serious Crime Branch, said she initially sent "a relatively small amount" but was then convinced to send larger amounts on a number of occasions "in order to get her initial investment back".

"After she unknowingly downloaded malware at their instruction, they were able to gain control of her electronic devices and, we believe, transfer further sums from her account," Moffett added.

Supt Joanne Gibson, from the Scamwise Partnership, said "taking a moment" to check financial activity can make a "real difference".

She said the PSNI would use all available resources to protect the community but she asked people to have a conversation with family members about fraud in order to try and safeguard them against criminals.

"We know that this type of crime can have a far-reaching impact, but we can all work together to protect and prevent this from happening to those we care about," she said.

"Fraudsters can be extremely convincing and use a variety of scenarios to make people believe them to be genuine. They are master manipulators."