‘Arrest warrant scam’ warning: Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office warns of callers demanding payment in Bitcoin

BEND, Oregon (KTVZ) – The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office again warned residents Monday about a recurring warrant scam in the area.

Sergeant Jason Wall said the sheriff’s office recently received reports that community members had been contacted by people demanding money for failing to comply with a subpoena. The callers requested that the money be sent in the form of Bitcoin.

They also use numerous intimidation techniques to facilitate payments, such as keeping the unsuspecting victim on the phone while payments are made, Wall said.

Thanks to advances in technology, law enforcement has realized that the people involved in these scams are able to use local phone numbers in Oregon, specifically the main number for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, making the scam appear legitimate.

“Law enforcement will never contact a citizen and ask for money to resolve an arrest warrant or other legal matter,” Wall stressed in a press release, adding, “Citizens should always be skeptical when an unknown person asks for money on the phone.”

“Unfortunately, community members have fallen victim to this scam in the past,” the sergeant said, “and we want to prevent more from falling victim to this scam in the future.”

Wall urged residents to “talk to a neighbor, call a friend or family member, and/or share this information on social media. The best way to prevent someone from falling victim to this scam is education.”

If you have fallen victim to this or similar scams and lost money as a result, Wall asks that you call Deschutes County’s non-emergency 911 number at 541-693-6911.