Washington State Residents Lose $673,500 to Scams in Three Days, Including $420K Gold Fraud

According to Clallam County Sheriff's Office, Washington state residents lost $673,500 to sophisticated scams within three days, with victims falling prey to impersonation schemes targeting banks, tech companies, and government agencies.

An 84-year-old victim lost $420,000 after scammers posing as Microsoft and the FTC convinced them to purchase gold. A 64-year-old resident lost $200,000 in cryptocurrency after downloading a fake rescue app while believing they were communicating with Coinbase support. Another victim lost $50,000 through a phishing email that compromised financial accounts, and a fourth lost $3,500 purchasing Apple gift cards for someone claiming to be Microsoft technical support. The Sheriff's Office urges residents to verify any bank-related calls directly with institutions and warns that legitimate companies never request cryptocurrency, gift cards, or remote computer access via unsolicited contact.