All three claim to be affiliated with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and that they’re calling about an arrest warrant, missed court date or other legal issues.
The recipient of the call is encouraged to visit Bitcoin or cryptocurrency ATMs nearby to deposit funds to avoid arrest.
The callers can clone phone numbers to appear legitimate and in some cases the display number on the caller ID can mimic the sheriff’s office, Streck said.
“These scammers can be very convincing, and while it may be tempting to place blame on the victims in hindsight, it’s crucial to recognize that these ruthless individuals successfully target people from all walks of life and age groups,” he said.
The sheriff’s office will never make a phone call to threaten arrest for unpaid fines, warrants, missed court dates or any similar issue. Anyone who receives a similar phone call should hang up and report the call to their local police department.
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