There have been over a dozen reported cases of bitcoin and crypto scams in Fairfax County since the beginning of the year, Fairfax County police warned. 

The scam typically involves a caller posing as law enforcement, banks, “legitimate entities,” businesses, or federal government agencies, the police department said. Scammers deceive their victims — who are often elderly — and convince them to deposit funds into crypto ATMS or into gift cards, because those forms of payment are “difficult to trace or recover.”  

Since the beginning of 2024, scammers have taken over $160,000 from Fairfax County victims. Many of these victims were scammed into depositing sums of around $10,000. One victim lost $31,100. 

In order to prevent crypto scams, Fairfax police reminded community members to “remain vigilant” to scams with some tips. The department said to remain skeptical of unsolicited calls, confirm the identity of the person or organization calling you by hanging up and calling the institution’s known contact information, and remember that you can always just hang up if you get an unsolicited call.  

Do not share personal information over the phone unless you are certain of the recipient’s legitimacy, consult with family members or friends about suspicious calls and financial decisions, and only use trusted platforms when dealing with digital currency.  

The police also remind residents that law enforcement will never call on the phone and ask for money, nor will businesses like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Norton, MacAfee, or PayPal.  

Some cryptocurrency ATMs offer partial reimbursements for fraud victims after a police report has been filed.  

Victims of scams can report the crime to the Fairfax County Police Department through the Financial Crimes Online Reporting website.

Feature image, stock.adobe.com

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