PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Americans lost $21 billion in cybercrimes in 2025. Around half involved cryptocurrency, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A Plymouth man told Local 4 he lost $37,000 after scammers frightened him into depositing cash into a Bitcoin ATM.
Steven Cooke said the ordeal began March 20, when a warning took over his laptop screen, claiming he’d been “compromised” and urging him to call a number.
He said a woman who identified herself as “Veronica J. Wilson” told him his identity had been stolen and that Apple Security detected unusual activity, including child pornography.
“I’m literally yelling into my phone like this isn’t me,” Cooke said.
He said the caller then claimed the scammers had access to his accounts and began listing the starting digits of his credit cards.
“They started numbering. Do you have one that starts with a five, a three, six, whatever? And Heather and I, my wife, were looking at our credit cards and were saying yes, but we didn’t give them the whole numbers,” Cooke said.
He said the woman later told him his phone was compromised and called him back on what she described as a secure line.
Cooke said a second person joined the call, identifying himself as “Richard Lee” from Chase Bank.
He said the man claimed money had been removed from his accounts and told him there was a way to get it back. Cooke said he was instructed to withdraw $37,000 from his bank and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM.
Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that exists only online and isn’t controlled by a bank or government.
Even as doubts crept in, Cooke said he stayed on the phone.
“There were points where I would challenge him to a certain extent, like is this real?” Cooke said.
After he made the deposit, Cooke said the caller pushed him to withdraw more money from another bank.
“I went to a different bank, got more cash out, sat in my (car), and I still was on the call with them. And at that point, they were telling me to go to another (bank). And I paused, and I’m thinking, ‘I might have just lost $37,000,’” Cooke said.
Cooke said he decided against sending more money.
“I hung up, drove home, called a real Chase bank myself on my work phone, and that’s where I realized legitimately that this was a complete scam,” he said.
Cooke said he called Lee back, and the person answered using a different name.
“I had some choice words if you can imagine,” he said.
Now, Cooke said he’s sharing his story to warn others, even if it’s embarrassing.
“I’m probably a little bit more educated than the average person on this, it can really happen to anybody,” he said.
The FBI urges people to “Take a Beat,” watch for red flags, resist pressure, and think before sending money or personal information.
The agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center receives nearly 3,000 complaints per day.
Cooke said, looking back, a simple reboot could have ended the scare.
“We talked to the real Apple people. They said just turn it off and turn it back on,” he said. “So, you just feel abused.”
Cooke reported the scam to the Plymouth Police Department and the Federal Trade Commission and reached out to Local 4.
Plymouth Police Chief Al Cox said the case is a common type of fraud, often targeting older adults. He said scammers rely on urgency and emotion to push victims into quick decisions.
“Slow down and think about it for a second,” Cox encourages people to do when someone asks for money to be sent right away.
He also warned people never to call numbers provided in pop-ups or alerts. Instead, they should look up official contact information and call directly.
Anyone who believes they’ve been targeted by a scam should contact the FBI at 313-965-2323 or file a report online at The Internet Crime Complaint Center.