A Wichita man in his mid-70s recently fell victim to a scam that cost him $15,000. Last summer, he received a call from someone claiming to be with Amazon, who told him his account had been compromised and that he was involved in a drug trafficking and money laundering operation. The caller said he would be transferred to the Social Security Administration, which then connected him to someone pretending to be from the U.S. Marshals Service.

The fake U.S. Marshal instructed the man to prove he wasn’t laundering money by withdrawing $15,000 from his Wichita bank. He was told to drive to Newton and complete two transactions: first, purchasing $10,000 in bitcoin and sending it to the scammer, then withdrawing $5,000 in cash to purchase more bitcoin. When the scammer claimed it wasn’t enough, the victim was directed to return to his bank for another withdrawal.

Bank employees recognized the scam and helped the man understand what was happening, advising him to file a police report. The FBI was also notified. The District Attorney’s Office reminds citizens that Amazon, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Marshals Service will never call to claim your account has been hacked or ask you to send money.