HYANNIS – From Barnstable Police: The Barnstable Police Department has received increased reports of a scam involving victims being contacted by the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office saying they have a warrant for failed jury duty appearance or other related court proceedings. The victim is then advised that they can clear up this “warrant” by paying the Sheriff’s Office through Cryptocurrency.
In all three incidents over the past week scammers have been utilizing one particular Bitcoin ATM machine in the Town of Barnstable for victims to conduct the transactions, with an attempted loss of up to $30,000. Bitcoin ATM’s serve no legitimate investment purpose as there are huge fee’s for transactions and serve only one purpose. Please DO NOT use any Bitcoin ATM’s and if you have concerns contact your local law enforcement agency.
The Barnstable Police Department nor any other local, state, or federal law enforcement agency will ever contact you regarding a warrant and will never demand payment through cryptocurrency. If you receive a call demanding money or you will be arrested hang up immediately and contact your local law enforcement agency to report the attempt.
STOP. HANG UP. DO NOT SEND MONEY!
These incidents are currently under investigation
