PELHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Pelham Police are sharing a warning about a disturbing trend officers say is tricking senior adults.
“It’s awful that that’s the people that they’re targeting,” said Sergeant Iliana Hayakahua with the Pelham Police Department. “A lot of times it’s people that are by themselves. They don’t really have a loved one that can take care of them. Lately, we’ve been having an uptick on Bitcoin scams. Unfortunately, it’s a lot more of the elderly that have been getting phone calls.”
Scammers are pretending to be police issuing warrants, claiming victims missed jury duty, or offering tempting rewards.
Sergeant Hayakahua says these criminals are impersonating area police or federal agencies, but they all demand victims make a payment.
“Sometimes they even threaten people such as that you will go to jail if you don’t do this,” she added. “They try and maintain you on the phone as long as possible. They tell you don’t hang up.”
She said these scammers are trying to put victims in a frenzy, giving instructions on how to use cryptocurrency, so they will press “no” and skip important directions and warnings.
Crypto is still relatively new for most people, and the police spokesperson says it is less regulated, but much faster.
“The main reason they’re very interested in Bitcoin is because they’re able to transfer the money a lot quicker than your traditional banks,” Hayakahua shared.
That is why people who get a suspicious phone call are urged to stay calm and put down the phone.
People who question if the phone call was legitimate are urged to find a reputable phone number for their police department.
Pelham Police can be contacted at 205-620-6550.
“The best thing is hang up, call your local police department and verify,” Hayakahua said.
Pelham Police say scammers often use scare tactics, like threats of legal action or even deportation.
You can find more scam safety advice from Pelham Police by clicking here.
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