EUGENE, Ore. — On Wednesday, December 11, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a Cottage Grove-area resident who was scammed out of $14,000 over the phone.
A relative of the victim received a phone call from a person claiming to be a sergeant with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. The scammer informed the relative he failed to appear for court and was held in contempt.
To “avoid arrest,” the relative was instructed to pay $7,000 for two separate criminal charges, or go to jail. Having no way to pay, the relative reached out to the victim, who pulled cash from savings and followed the scammer’s instructions for payment: in Bitcoin, through a CoinFlip ATM machine.
“Due to the use of Bitcoin and VPN phone numbers, this case is likely unsolvable,” LCSO said. “This type of scam is very common, and we receive reports of similar scam callers almost every day (thankfully with no money lost in most cases). Scammers often have official-sounding voicemail inboxes, have victims’ personal information, and attempt to be intimidating over the phone. Their numbers on caller ID may even appear to be ours.”
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office says it will never ask for money by phone, text, or email.
“We will NEVER call you about missed jury duty,” LCSO added.
If you are contacted by someone claiming to be a Lane County Sheriff’s Office employee and you think you are being scammed, hang up and contact the dispatch center at 541-682-4141.
If you are a victim of a phone or internet scam, report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov.
LCSO asks residents to share this information with your friends and family.
