The email looked like a surprise charge of nearly $500 from Best Buy, along with a customer service line to help with any questions.

The man who answered the line quickly acknowledged the charge was a mistake and promised a refund.

But as he worked to resolve the problem, he announced in a shocked voice, his company accidentally refunded thousands of extra dollars. The only fix, he said, was for the caller to urgently return the money through a crypto ATM – a machine that converts cash into cryptocurrency.

It all sounded extremely confusing and vaguely convincing.

But the man on the phone was no Best Buy…