3 out 4 Fraud Cases In Kent County All Have This In Common

The Kent County Sheriffs Office is sounding the alarm on a trend of fraud cases that all have the same thing in common.

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The Kent County Sheriff's Office says that a shocking 75% of their fraud investigations now involve scammers tricking people out of money using digital currency, like Bitcoin.

How the Crypto ATM Scam Works

The most common tactic scammers use is convincing victims to use local Cryptocurrency ATMs.

These machines convert your cash into digital money.

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The scam usually starts with a phone call where the scammer pretends to be someone official, such as a government agent, utility company, or even a family member that's in trouble.

The scammer lies to you and says things such as that your bank account is frozen, you owe a fine, or that you need to pay a small fee to claim a large prize.

They then demand you take a large amount of cash out of your bank account and drive to a local Crypto ATM where they then walk you through how to insert your cash and send the digital currency to a secret address.

Once the cash is converted to crypto and sent, it is stolen instantly and the sender will never see it again.

This fraud has been very popular among scammers because it’s fast and practically untraceable.

Police say that because these transactions aren't linked to a traditional bank, the money can be transferred anywhere in the world in seconds which makes it very hard and very rare for the victim to ever get the money they sent back.

Stop the Scam Before It Starts

Experts advise that If you hear any of these four things, hang up the phone immediately:

They Demand You Pay with Crypto: No government agency, electric company, or legitimate business will ever require you to pay a debt, fine, or fee using a Bitcoin ATM or gift cards.

The "Fee for a Prize" Trick: If someone offers you a prize or money, but you have to pay them a fee first to get it, it is a scam.

High-Pressure Tactics: The scammer is very demanding, yells, or says things like, "Don't hang up!" or "Don't tell anyone about this call!"

They Tell You Not to Talk to Others: They will warn you that friends or family will try to "talk you out of it." This is a huge sign they are trying to isolate you.

If you believe you or someone you know have fallen victim to a scam, contact your local law enforcement immediately.

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While they may not be able to recover the money, acting fast will give them the best chance to investigate.

To report a scam in Kent County, call the Kent County Sheriff's Office at 616-632-6100.