By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
A 72-year-old Hays woman was the victim of a cryptocurrency scam after losing $7,000 on Jan. 27.
Hays Police Lt. Brandon Wright said scammers claimed they had hacked the woman's phone, found pornography on it and threatened to report her to the Department of Homeland Security unless she paid them in Bitcoin.
Wright said the woman was using a Bitcoin machine at 1301 Vine St. when Police Chief Don Scheibler approached her.
The woman told Scheibler she had been threatened by an individual with a foreign accent, which led her to send $7,000 in Bitcoin earlier that day, Wright said.
Wright said the woman was at the Bitcoin machine to set up an account to send an additional $20,000 after receiving further threats, but Scheibler intervened and prevented the transfer.
Wright said the woman had no illegal material on her phone.