The Northampton County Sheriff\u2019s Department and Pennsylvania State Police-Troop M (Bethlehem) are warning residents to be on the lookout for cryptocurrency phone scams in which victims are told they owe money for outstanding warrants, after several residents have reportedly lost tens of thousands of dollars to this type of fraud.<\/p>\n
In a joint news release Friday, officials from both law enforcement agencies said county residents have been receiving calls from unknown callers claiming to be \u201cNorthampton\u00a0County sheriffs.\u201d They said these callers are telling residents there is a warrant for their arrest for failing to report for jury duty and that a payment in Bitcoin is needed for the warrant to be voided.<\/p>\n
\u201cCallers often tell victims that they have to stay on the phone for long periods of time,\u201d the release noted. It advised citizens \u201cto hang up the phone immediately if they suspect the call is a scam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three recent local incidents were highlighted by police, including two that occurred this week and one in late December.<\/p>\n
In one of the incidents, police said a woman who got a call lost $4,000 in Bitcoin before police were able to tell her it was a scam. Another woman, they said, lost $16,500 because she thought there were two warrants for her arrest, and in December they said a third person lost $10,000 when she believed there were warrants for her arrest for failing to report for jury duty.<\/p>\n
\u201cState Police and the Northampton County Sheriffs Office are urging residents, if they receive a\u00a0phone call indicating payment is needed to law enforcement, to hang up immediately,\u201d the release said. \u201cLaw\u00a0enforcement never asks for payment over the phone and do not accept alternate payment\u00a0methods such as Bitcoin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Below are some tips for avoiding phone scams, which can also take many other forms.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t share personal information \u2013 Never give out your Social Security number, bank details, passwords or verification codes to anyone who calls unexpectedly.<\/p>\n
Hang up and verify \u2013 If someone claims to be from your bank, a government agency or a specific company or organization, hang up and call the official number listed on their website.<\/p>\n
Be skeptical of urgency \u2013 Scammers often pressure their victims to act fast or threaten consequences. Legitimate organizations rarely demand immediate action.<\/p>\n
Avoid paying with gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin \u2013 These payment methods are nearly impossible to trace and are a common red flag.<\/p>\n
Use caller ID cautiously \u2013 Scammers can \u201cspoof\u201d numbers to make it look like they\u2019re calling from a trusted source.<\/p>\n
Register your number \u2013 Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry to reduce unwanted calls.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t press buttons or respond to prompts \u2013 If a robocall asks you to \u201cpress 1 to speak to an agent\u201d or \u201cpress 2 to be removed,\u201d hang up instead.<\/p>\n
Trust your instincts \u2013 If something feels off or too good to be true, it probably is.<\/p>\n