A scammer persuaded a Salina woman to send over $7,000 by claiming he was an award winning professional bull rider.
Police Captain Jim Feldman tells KSAL News a female reported being a victim of fraud. The woman stated she connected with someone on social media who claimed to be a professional bull rider by the name of John Crimber.
The suspect convinced the victim to create a bank account by promising to fund her travel expenses, so they can meet each other. The woman then started to receive electronic deposits into the account from the suspect. Afterwards, she withdrew over $7,000 from the account and sent it back to the suspect using Bitcoin.
Once the amount was removed, the deposits were recalled due to fraudulent activity.
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Note from the Salina Police Department:
The Salina Police Department again wants to warn citizens to be cautious when dealing with money transactions online or dealing with subjects claiming to be celebrities. Please take time to think prior to taking action if asked to send money, set up a bank account, or provide personal information. Most celebrities would not need you to send them money. Anytime you are sent money and are asked to then send the money back to or on to someone else this is a common scam technique. Also, if you are sent a check for more money than expected and asked to return the difference or keep a portion of the money this also is a common scam technique. Be aware that by transferring this money on, the subject could be held responsible for this money by the financial institute. Again, before taking action in these situations, at minimum discuss the situation with your bank or contact your local law enforcement to protect yourself.
