ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The promise of a dream job is costing Americans millions. According to the FTC, in just 2022, people reported losing $367 million to job scams.

I reached out to one of those scammers and played along so you could recognize the scammer’s tactics. The scam I’m featuring tonight is especially dangerous because of the method the scammer uses to make off with your money.

Bitcoin’s promise of billions has gotten the attention of rich and regular investors alike, in part because of President Trump having amassed his own crypto-kingdom and his vow to make the U.S. the world’s crypto capital.

Not surprisingly, scammers are taking note, creating a new scam that capitalizes on America’s growing interest in digital currency. It’s another twist on the work-from-home scam that is so sophisticated, my station’s tech experts advised that I take it no further.

The scammer started with a text message calling herself Judy from LinkedIn. She said she came across my outstanding resume. She said I can work from home, earning up to $10,000 a month. I just need to contact her through the app WhatsApp or Telegram.

On Telegram, the scammer used a picture of an attractive woman allegedly named Amy Kelly. But I did a Google image search and found the picture on Instagram. Her name is actually Faye. The scammer stole the picture from her account.

The scammer on Telegram claimed to work for a Bitcoin mining company, and I can make $9,000 a month, and directed me to go to bitfarms-perfect.com. It’s a sophisticated-looking website with images that are supposed to represent bitcoin mining along with a fake cryptocurrency exchange. It’s all fake. When you scroll to the bottom of the site, it lists what are supposed to be links to pages like the company’s contact page and terms of use page. But there are no pages for contact information or terms of use. It’s all fake.

The scammer is impersonating a real Bitcoin mining company called Bitfarms. Its web address is bitfarms.com. I contacted company leaders, and a spokesman emailed the following statement:

“Bitfarms takes cybersecurity and impersonating websites seriously. We actively monitor for fraudulent sites, secure domain variations, and take swift enforcement actions to protect our brand and clients. Please share any suspected impersonations or security questions with security@bitfarms.com.

The scammer’s elaborate ploy involves asking the victim to register their email address and create a password. The scammer’s website then generates a code that the scammer asks the victim to share on Telegram. The scammer then told me I needed to complete a training. He told me to log out of my account, and he sent me a login and password for a training account. And my company IT experts warn that doing that could allow the scammers access to information on your computer or enable the installation of spyware or malware on your device.

As is always the case with scammers, it’s important to carefully check the web address before providing any personal information.

AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News 10 uses AI