OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — A retired woman in Oconomowoc lost her entire savings after falling victim to a cryptocurrency scam, as local police report an alarming increase in similar cases over the past year.
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Lee Ann Malec lost $24,000 when scammers convinced her to transfer her money to a Bitcoin ATM, claiming it was the only way to protect her bank account from fraudulent activity.
"Sometimes I wake up and I shiver because I can still hear his voice. It is probably something I will never get over," Malec said.
The scam began when a webpage appeared on Malec's laptop that she couldn't close. She believed it was from Microsoft saying there was something wrong with her computer, but it wasn’t. After calling the number displayed, a man told her there was suspicious activity in her bank account.
"Microsoft came up on my laptop, and I tried to shut down, and it wouldn't shut down. So I called the number," Malec said.
Malec even called what she believed was her bank's fraud department, which was actually another number controlled by the scammers.
"He said you would have to go to the bank. I said, 'I'm not going to go to the bank. Are you sure this is happening?' He said, 'You don't understand this is happening in the bank and we have to find out, we don't know who it is,'" Malec said.
Within hours, the scammers had convinced her to transfer her entire savings of $24,000 to a Bitcoin ATM. Oconomowoc police said once the money entered the machine, it was gone — likely transferred internationally.
Watch: Oconomowoc police warn crypto scams on the rise after local woman loses savings
Malec said in hindsight she wishes she just said something to her bank teller during the incident.
"The phone was with me in the bank, I wish I had just lifted it up," Malec said. "But my mind was not there. He had me very scared."
The problem has become so widespread that Oshkosh Police have posted warning signs on local cryptocurrency ATMs listing common scam scenarios, including "Did someone send you to a Bitcoin ATM? It's a scam" and "Jury Duty payment? It's a scam."
When Malec's son-in-law called the scammer the next day to confront him about taking all her savings, the man reportedly showed no remorse, using profanity and stating he didn't care.
"I don't know how these people can get up and look at themselves in the mirror in the morning, taking money from people. I don't get it, I don't get it," Malec said.
Oconomowoc Police are investigating the incident.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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