The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office is warning residents about the latest cryptocurrency scam targeting men in North Texas.
According to the Tarrant County CDA’s Office, the scam begins when a man claiming to be an investigator with the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office calls his target.
The scammer tells the victim that he committed a crime when he contacted massage or sex-related websites, the CDA's Office said. The alleged crimes cited involved illegal sexual conduct.
The CDA’s Office said so far, the victims of this scam have mainly been elderly men.
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If the target doesn't pay the fine, the scammer says he will be prosecuted. According to the Tarrant County CDA's Office, the fines are to be paid in increments to a bitcoin machine or kiosk at a location designated by the scammer.
The call appears to come from 817-884-1400, which is the general telephone number to the CDA, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office said.
According to the CDA, senior citizens in Tarrant County have been tricked into paying fines that have totaled around $300,000.
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The CDA's office said it never asks people to go to bitcoin machines to pay fines. Any fine ever required by a court will be paid to the court.
The scammer spoofed the call, making it appear he was calling from the CDA's Office, officials said. He falsely identified himself by name as an investigator.
"No one from my office will ever contact anyone and tell them to pay fines to bitcoin machines," Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said. "If you are contacted, fight back - report the crime to police.
This is one of the latest cryptocurrency crimes, the CDA said. Scammers want people to pay by cryptocurrency because there's almost no way for victims to get that money back.
If you have been impacted by this scam, report this crime to the police department in the city where it occurred.
If you believe you may be getting scammed, call the CDA office at 817-884-1400 and ask for the investigator who called you.
