2 Nanaimo residents lose $20,000 in bitcoin scams: RCMP

Police in Nanaimo say they are warning the public after two separate bitcoin scams in the span of 24 hours saw two people lose more than $20,000 combined.

Mounties say the first case involved a man getting a call from someone impersonating a police officer, telling the victim to send a percentage of his assets through a bitcoin machine for safekeeping because of a privacy breach.

Mounties say another man reported receiving an email about getting a refund and was told that the other party mistakenly sent too much money, requiring the victim to return the excess funds in bitcoin.

Nanaimo RCMP say residents should never respond to online links from unknown parties, and that any transaction requiring payment in bitcoin should be considered a scam.

The Canadian Press