Scammers posing as Vermilion Parish Sheriff Deputies are using a Bitcoin machine to steal money from victims by phone, sheriff office spokesperson Eddie Langlinais said Wednesday.
The scammer usually advises the victim, who may be a sex offender, that they are an employee of the sheriff’s office and that the VPSO has a warrant for his or her arrest for allegedly failing to update their registration. The victim is advised that the warrant can be paid by purchasing gift cards through a website named Jpay.
“Although these scammers are good at what they do, no law enforcement agency uses Bitcoins, therefore no law enforcement will advise you to deposit money into a Bitcoin machine,” Langlinais in a news release. “Nor will any law enforcement agency advise you to get gift cards to pay a fine or warrant.”
