Graphic Courtesy of the Calumet County Sheriff's Office
The Calumet County Sheriff’s Office has been spoofed by scammers hoping to make off with peoples money. “Spoofing” happens when a scammer uses technology to make the calls appear as official, with the proper number and ID displayed to the receiver. The caller in Calumet County’s case used the name of Lieutenant Craig Wensle and told the citizen that she’d missed jury duty and had a federal warrant out for her arrest…but for a $6,000 Bitcoin payment at a kiosk, all would be forgiven.
A few things seemed suspicious to the intended victim and they lost nothing in the scam, but the bad actors had done a pretty good job of imitating the “real thing”. However the scam is becoming well-known for succeeding, and those who aren’t aware are at risk of falling for the scheme.
As a reminder, the Sheriff said that they never ask for money deposits – or bitcoin – or gift cards, and legitimate payments on warrants in Wisconsin can only be made at law enforcement agencies, jails, and certain government offices; they also only serve warrants face-to-face in-person.
Another reminder from the Sheriff: If you suspect something’s wrong, or believe that you’ve been scammed, then call them directly.
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