The Apple Valley Hotel is the victim of a Bitcoin scam

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APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (FOX 9) – Employees at an Apple Valley hotel were scammed that involved paying for a shipment that never came with Bitcoin, authorities said.

According to police, at 4:17 a.m. Dec. 19, Apple Valley Police Department Sgt. David Engel responded to a hotel over a scam report. Staff said they received a phone call from someone claiming to be in charge of the hotel chain, mentioning the name of the general manager of the Apple Valley location.

Staff were told they were to receive a shipment of fire extinguishers, but the hotel had to pay FedEx $5,000 for shipping. A woman claiming to be from FedEx also joined the call to verify the claim, according to the victims.

The caller said that if the $5,000 was not paid upon receipt of the delivery, the company would be charged an additional $5,000 for return postage – asking the employee to obtain money from the hotel safe to pay for delivery if needed. However, inside the safe, the employee found only $316.

The woman on the call said she could use the credit to pay for the $5,000 shipping fee or pay with the $316 in cash via Bitcoin. The employee was then asked to go to a nearby Bitcoin machine to send the money.

When the shipment of fire extinguishers did not arrive, the employee got hold of the general manager of the hotel and learned that the call was a scam.

Based on the phone numbers used throughout the conversation, police believe the case will lead to suspects outside the United States, making them difficult to investigate and prosecute, authorities said.

Hotel staff were told that as the money was sent via Bitcoin to Mexico, it would not be recoverable and no further action would be taken by the police.

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