Individual transferred money into Bitcoin to scammers

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

A resident of central Otter Tail County, exact address not available, was still waiting on Oct. 14 to see if she lost money as a victim of a scam attempt.

The resident told sheriff deputies that her computer had locked up and she was instructed, through an alert on the computer screen, to call a phone number that turned out to be fraudsters.

Deputies said the woman made the call and was instructed to transfer money to a person through different methods which did not work. The fraudster said he was an employee of Microsoft.

The woman then withdrew $6,500 and entered it into a Bitcoin machine. It was unkown if the money was transferred to the scammer.

Bitcoin is a form of digital cash in in which unit transactions are recorded on a digital ledger.

Trailer stolen

Sheriff deputies reported, on Oct. 14, the theft of a car hauling trailer in Dalton. The estimated value is $1,500.

The unit was described as an older, black tandem axle trailer with 2-inch ball hitch and flip-up ramps. The unit also has a yellow lift assist/side rail. 

There were no immediate suspects.

Stolen items recovered

Sheriff deputies, on Oct. 11, reported that items stolen from a cabin in Norwegian Grove Township, west of Pelican Rapids, were recovered in north Fargo.

A tip led detectives to a suspect who admitted taking the items from the cabin close to Sept. 27. The suspect, a 30-year-old woman, was expected to be charged with burglary by the Otter Tail County Attorney’s Office.