Montco Victim Lost $23,000 To Crypto Scammers: Police

NORRISTOWN, PA — Cryptocurrency schemes have seen significant success in Montgomery County, police say, with numerous victims losing thousands of dollars.

Some victims have lost anywhere from $1,300 to more than $23,000 in the scheme, police said.

Scammers call from fake phone numbers that appear to be the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

The DA's office said that a scammer claiming to be "Lieutenant McDonald" or a similar fake name tells victims they must make payments due to missing jury duty.

They then instruct the victim to deposit funds into a cryptocurrency machine while staying on the phone.

"No legitimate law enforcement agency, the Sheriff’s Office or the court will ever request payment via a Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency ATM," district attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. "Further, no money is involved if there is a warrant issued for someone’s failure to appear in court for jury duty or for any other reason. A failure to appear warrant must be handled in a courtroom in front of a Court of Common Pleas Judge. Anyone who has gotten one of these calls should not comply with any of their demands and should not deposit any money into a Bitcoin ATM.”

The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is investigating.

If you have any contact with the scammers, notify the Montgomery County Detective Bureau by calling 610-278- 3368.