Detective Mike Wilson with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department says around $93,000 has been reported lost to cryptocurrency scams by county residents each month this year.
“That number is just growing. Several years ago, these types of crimes were nonexistent," Wilson said.
He said scammers often prey on vulnerable victims. Wilson said a Green Valley resident who lost his wife years ago was the target of a scam.
“The way he described it to me was, talking to that scammer on the phone was the first time in just about a decade where he felt an emotional connection with somebody," Wilson said.
He said many of scam calls are now crypto related, but the unit also discovers scammers pretending to be law enforcement who tell people they’ve missed jury duty and now have warrant for their arrest.
The scammer typically says to "just deposit a couple thousand dollars in a bitcoin ATM and this will all go away,” Wilson said.
Through the unit’s work, he said they’ve been able to return close to $760,000 to victims in the few months it’s been operating. Now, they’ will label Bitcoin ATMs with scam alert signs showcasing contact information that’ll lead you straight to their unit.
In Tucson alone, there are close to 300 machines.
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