The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has been receiving numerous reports of people being scammed into buying Bitcoin. The bad actors of these scams are very convincing.
Scams include -- but are not limited to -- PayPal, Norton Antivirus and Lifelock pretending to be financial institutions and/or law enforcement.
Scammers may want access to your computer, claim you have warrants or say a loved one is in trouble. They may also provide convincing documents showing deposits into your accounts or give phony stories that they will be in trouble or lose their jobs.
The Sheriff's Office understands that hearing facts about your life, home or family can be unnerving and can aid in scammers' attempt to appear legitimate. Much of your information is readily available online such as full names, birth dates, phone numbers, addresses and photos of your home.
Scammers use this information to make themselves believable. Once they have convinced you that they are legitimate, they will have you deposit money into a Bitcoin machine. These machines are located at numerous locations. The scam artists may keep you on the phone while you are withdrawing money and putting it into the machines.
If you are contacted by one of these scammers take note of these "red flags" and stop. Talk to your bank, law enforcement or a trusted friend before withdrawing money or making deposits. If someone insists that Bitcoin or gift cards are the only form of payment that is accepted, then something is definitely wrong.
You can report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at "ReportFraud.ftc.gov."
