Area sheriff’s office issues warning about recent phone scam

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a recent phone scam circulating throughout the community.

According to the sheriff’s office, the caller presents themselves as “Lieutenant Green” and tells the resident that they have a warrant out for their arrest due to a missed court date or other legal issue. They may go as far as sending a counterfeit document to bolster their narrative.

Residents are then asked to go to specific Bitcoin and/or Cryptocurrency ATMs near their home address where they can deposit the funds to avoid arrest.

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The scammers have even been known to clone phone numbers to appear legitimate on the incoming caller ID.

“These scammers can be very convincing and while in hindsight it may be easy to blame the victims, please keep in mind that these ruthless scammers are very successful at targeting people from all walks of life and age groups,” said Sheriff Rob Streck.

The sheriff’s office is reminding residents it will never call residents and threaten arrest for unpaid fines, warrants, missed court dates, etc.

Anyone who receives calls like this should hang up and report it to their local police department.

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