Bitcoin Scammer Targets Business In Downers Grove

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Downers Grove business owner was recently the victim of a scam in which the caller posed as a ComEd employee who needed money to prevent the business's electricity from getting disconnected.

Police say the scammer called around 11 a.m. on June 14 and told the business owner that the account transfer they were in the midst of would require a $1,300 payment to prevent disconnection. The caller then said typical payments could not be processed by phone on a weekend, so the $1,300 needed to be paid in Bitcoin, and sent the victim to a Bitcoin machine at a nearby BP gas station.

The victim told police they made the requested deposit in the Bitcoin machine and they later notified police, who advised them to report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).