LEWISTON, ID – Government Imposter Scams are occurring in southern Idaho and could potentially make their way to north-central Idaho. As a result, the Lewiston Police Department is warning residents that scammers find the names of local law enforcement officers and will call, text, or email a potential victim with a rehearsed script.
From LPD:
The potential victim will receive the call, text or email telling them they are with the local law enforcement agency and there is a warrant or unpaid fine against the victim. The scammer will try and get the victim into a state of panic and coerce them into going to a local store that has a crypto currency machine (similar to an ATM) and get the victim to send money to avoid the threat of going to jail. The scammers work on making the transfer of money to crypto currency a priority and keep the victim on the phone as they go to the store with the crypto currency machine and make the transfer. Unfortunately, once the money has been transferred into crypto currency, it begins changing hands quickly and is usually untraceable by police once the crime has been discovered. Many of the crypto currency companies do not provide deposit addresses on the receipts so it is difficult to impossible for officers to find where the money went.
LPD wants to remind everyone that no government agency is going to force you to pay them in crypto currency.
Additionally, no government agency is going to ask you to pay them over the phone using crypto currency, even if the name and phone number they are using seem legitimate. Do not give out any personal information and do not pay them using crypto currency. If you are feeling like you are being pressured by the caller to make the transfer in a quick manner, it is a scam and you should hang up. If you receive this type of call, hang up and do not engage with the caller. If you are concerned you may have a warrant or unpaid fine, you can call your local law enforcement agency and find out if the call was legitimate or not. If you feel you are the victim of this type of scam and gave out personal information or money, contact your local law enforcement immediately.
