Montgomery County authorities are issuing a warning about a recent email scam that falsely claims to be from the sheriff's department, targeting residents with deceptive messages about arrest warrants. The emails, which carry the headline "MONTGOMERY COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE *FALSE CLAIMS DIVISION*," inform recipients that they failed to appear in court and must deposit money into a "digital escrow" using a Coinstar Bitcoin terminal to avoid arrest, as reported by 6abc.com.
The scammers have further bolstered their deceit by attaching documents to the emails that appear credible but are fraudulent. These include a fake arrest warrant, a phony FDIC brochure advocating payments via Bitcoin, and even a counterfeit contempt order demanding a specific payment through the same method, to only name some of the tactics disclosed by District Attorney Kevin Steele. "These scams are particularly harmful because they prey on the public's trust in law enforcement in general and our office in particular", revealed Steele, as per PHL17.
The District Attorney and the Sheriff's Office were prompt to clarify that real arrest warrants for a failure to appear are managed by a judge in a courtroom, and under no circumstances does the justice system in Montgomery County accept Bitcoin or request payments through unregulated terminals as the emails suggest.
Residents are advised to remain vigilant against these schemes, as indicated by Sheriff Sean Kilkenny, who noted an uptick in scam attempts where criminals wrongfully impersonate deputies. "The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office does not call residents to ask for payment of fines, settlement of warrants, court costs or any other reason", Kilkenny firmly stated, as cited by PHL17.
