In an online post, The Washoe County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) issued a public announcement warning the public of an increase in BitCoin Machine scams in the area.
The post says that how the scam works is the intended victim receives a pop-up on their computer warning them of a violation or privacy breach.
The victim then receives a phone call from someone claiming to be with law enforcement.
The scammer keeps the victim on the phone for up to two or three hours while guiding and convincing them to pull out large sums of money from their bank and depositing into a BitCoin Machine with an assigned account.
WCSO says the scammers use very convincing tactics and usually don't raise any red flags or suspicion.
Their tactics are designed to make the victim feel a sense of urgency.
WCSO says in most scams, the transaction is over and the call is finished before the victim realizes what has happened.
The Sheriff's Office wants to remind the public that a law enforcement officer will NEVER call you to request money.
They say if you receive a computer prompt or phone call of this nature, unplug and turn your computer off and or hang-up the phone immediately.
The Sheriff's Office says they have been successful in tracing these types of transactions and returning lost money to victims.
They also say, however, that most of these accounts are always out of the country, making it highly unlikely of bringing the scammers to justice.
(The Washoe County Sheriff's Office contributed to this story.)
