State Police Issue Warning Over Ongoing Bitcoin Scam
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- State Police have issued a warning to residents to be cautious about an ongoing scam involving Bitcoin.
Troopers say people in Indiana County are getting text messages telling them of unauthorized charges to their PayPal account.
The victims are then asked for personal information and are told to buy Bitcoin at a Bitcoin ATM and deposit it into another account.
On Oct. 20, a Homer City woman reported a loss of approximately $32,000. On Oct. 23, a Blairsville man reported a loss of $7,430.
Trying to get money back for victims is beyond difficult for law enforcement.
"It certainly can be frustrating," trooper Cliff Greenfield said. "We have The judicial system in place that we can apply for search warrants and court orders and try and track down where the money went. But a lot of cases result in the ability to do that."
Police say if you are in doubt of a potential scam taking place, ignore the call, email, or text message, and contact a family member or your local law enforcement agency.