Spokane County victim loses $4,000 in Bitcoin spoofing scam

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office warned of a new “spoofing” scam making its rounds Friday.

According to deputies, a Spokane County resident lost $4,000 to the scam.

Investigators said they spoke to the victim Thursday, who reported losing the money to someone pretending to be a member of law enforcement over the phone.

The scammer threatened the victim with arrest for missing federal jury duty, and called from a number that showed on caller ID as being from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the victim told them the scammer was rehearsed, and as questions arose, the victim got spot-on answers or answers that seemed “official.”

The deputy impersonator told the victim that if they hung up on him, told anyone, or didn’t do as they were told, the victim would be arrested, face higher fines, and even face additional “charges.”

Fear and confusion led the victim to withdraw thousands of dollars and deposit it into a Bitcoin machine.

Deputies said a concerned Good Samaritan noticed something was terribly wrong with the situation at the Bitcoin machine and intervened, but not in time for the victim to lose out on $4,000.

According to data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Washingtonians lost over $12.5 billion to fraud last year, a 25% increase from 2023.

The Sheriff’s Office recommends the following tips to help identify scams:

any solicited call, email, or text that you’re not expecting should trigger your suspicionsNo law enforcement agency at any level calls to collect fines or money for anythingif you’re unsure about the validity of the caller, hang up and call the agency they claim to represent directly (you’ll have to do an internet search for the correct number if you don’t have it memorized)anyone who demands payment or personal information at the start of a call/text, while threatening you with severe consequences if you don’t follow their instructions is probably a scammer