Eden Prairie Police have reported two recent scams targeting local businesses, according to a Friday, April 5, post on the department’s blog.
In one incident, a scammer, claiming to be from FedEx, instructed a hotel employee to withdraw money at a Bitcoin ATM and send it to them. The employee did not comply and immediately contacted the police. The scammer also claimed to be surveilling the hotel.
Another scam involved a store employee who was deceived by a caller impersonating the store manager, saying that UPS required payment for a delivery. The employee was convinced to withdraw $8,000 from the store’s funds and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM before realizing the scam.
Dubbed a “CEO Scam,” police explain that these cons involve fraudsters impersonating a business owner or manager. By employing social engineering, they create urgency and persuade employees to conduct unauthorized financial transactions.
Authorities advise businesses to hang up on these calls and directly verify any suspicious requests with known contacts. FedEx and UPS do not ask for money or Bitcoin to deliver packages.
Victims of such scams are encouraged to contact the Eden Prairie Police Department at 952-949-6200.
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