Getting calls from the Northville Township police asking you to pay up in bitcoin? Hold up, it’s probably a scam!
Yup, you read it right: The Northville Township police have noticed an upswing in scams involving bitcoin. Some sneaky people are calling residents pretending to be the cops!
The tricksters are convincing folks, telling them they’re being investigated or have arrest warrants pendin against them. They then scare the victims into coughing up immediate payments, usually in bitcoin or cash transfers.
One victim got scammed out of close to $300,000 in cash and bitcoin. That’s not all though, they even ended up handing over some gold bricks to the swindler! Crazy, right?
Deputy Chief Matthew MacKenzie from Northville’s police force shared a piece of mind, “Law enforcement agencies do not ask for payments over the phone — let alone in bitcoin”. He also emphasised, “If you get a call or email saying you’re under investigation, and you need to make an immediate payment to resolve the issue, that’s a big fat scam!”
If you’ve been victimized by or have spotted any such scams, you can report them at the Federal Trade Commission website. There’s also an online option to file consumer complaints on the Attorney General’s site.
Beware of ‘Pig butchering’ scams making rounds these days. For the uninitiated, it’s when fraudsters sweet-talk their victims over a period, gaining their trust before swiftly leaving them high and dry.
So folks, always keep your guards up and remember if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t!
