SCAM ALERT: Lincoln man loses more than $100,000 to scammers, LPD says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Lincoln man was scammed out of more than $100,000 last week, according to the Lincoln Police Department.

On Friday, LPD was made aware of a fraud that happened sometime over the last week.

The victim — a 58-year-old Lincoln man — told officers he received a call and a text from a woman identifying herself as a federal agent, saying hackers had compromised his bank accounts.

According to LPD, he was told to withdraw money from the bank and meet a person outside his home who would place it in a lock box at the Federal Reserve.

The victim gave $79,000 in cash to an unknown man on Nov. 17, LPD said.

Two days later, the woman called the victim again and told him to deposit $4,000 in two separate Bitcoin machines.

LPD said he was also told to ship $20,000 in cash to an address in California, which he sent on Nov. 19.

In total, the victim lost $103,000.

As a reminder, LPD said no legitimate business or government agency will ask you for payment in cryptocurrency. It’s always important to independently verify any claims.

Use the acronym SCAM to remind yourself:

• S – STOP: Don’t act on fear, threats or urgency
• C – CHECK: Hang up and independently verify the caller
• A – AVOID: If pressured, do not send cryptocurrency
• M – MAKE A REPORT: Call LPD at 402-441-6000