In Texas, law enforcement prevented the loss of $25,000 that a local family nearly fell victim to due to a phone scam. Residents of Jasper County received a call from unknown individuals who, threatening “legal action,” coerced them into transferring a significant sum of money through a Bitcoin terminal in neighboring Hardin County.
This is reported by Бізнес • Медіа
Details of the Police Operation to Recover Funds
After receiving a report from the victims, Deputy Police Chief Pulliam and Officer Gray promptly arrived at the scene, gathering all necessary evidence regarding the alleged fraud. With the involvement of Investigator David Lampman and staff from the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant for the Bitcoin ATM was obtained.
Using a construction tool, the police opened the terminal, which contained $31,900. Part of this amount belonged to the victims of the scam. All funds were seized and handed over to the authorities of Jasper County, where they will remain until the conclusion of the confiscation hearing. After that, the money was returned to the family that had been targeted by the scammers.
Challenges of the Investigation and a Call for Vigilance
“When scammers attempt to defraud our citizens, we act swiftly and decisively,” said Sheriff Howard.
The sheriff expressed gratitude to his team and colleagues from Hardin County for their decisive and prompt actions in combating illegal schemes. He urged citizens to be cautious of phone and online scammers, as investigations into such crimes are complicated by the anonymity of cryptocurrency transactions. As of now, the perpetrators have not yet been identified, and investigative actions are ongoing.
It is worth noting that recently, the authorities in Spokane, Washington, supported an initiative to ban the use of Bitcoin ATMs in the city.