SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a scam that cost a Salina man $1700.
Between Jan. 27 and March 1, the a 65-year-old Salina man was approached via social media by someone he thought he knew, according to Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus.
That person referred him to an agent who advised him he had won a federal government grant, and that by paying $800, he could receive a grant for $20,000.
Originally, the man was asked to pay the $800 with bitcoin through a QR code, but when he said he didn't know how to do that. He was then asked to pay via gift cards for the online gaming platform Steam, according to Hanus.
The victim provided photos of the codes on the cards and the activation code from the receipt to the agent.
The scammer continued to string the man along, eventually getting $1,700 from him. The scammer even went as far as to send the victim a photo of an alleged certificate of grant award and a package with the victim's name on it that supposedly was to be mailed the next day.
When the victim became suspicious and asked for his money back, he was told that the money was not refundable, according to Hanus.
Even then, the scammer tried an additional time to get more money from him, asking that he wire money through Bank of America, but the victim refused and reported the crime to police Tuesday.