Bitcoin scammers target Jacksonite, steal $18,000

JACKSON (WNE) — A fraudulent call drained a Jackson woman of $18,000 last week after she made payments to an anonymous caller through a Bitcoin conversion machine at Jackson’s Loaf N’ Jug.

These kinds of digital scams are unfortunately common, said Lt. Russ Ruschill of the Jackson Police Department, partially because technology continues to become more sophisticated.

While Ruschill didn’t have an exact number, he said Tuesday that, just in the last 24-hours, law enforcement had received two other calls for fraudulent behavior including a person calling impersonating a police officer.

“Law enforcement, and the government in general, will never call you and ask for money in the form of Bitcoin or gift cards,” he said. “That’s not how any government agency does business.”

The woman who was scammed answered a phone call from a 307 area code. The caller sounded like law enforcement, referred to the woman by name and even knew her home address. They then issued her two fake citations — one for contempt of court and the other for failure to appear in court. The caller said the citations were because the woman missed jury duty.

The woman was told that another officer would be calling her to follow up on the citations.

When the woman hung up, she was texted what looked like a warrant for her arrest. The scammer then called the woman back and told her all she had to do was pay the citations — in Bitcoin. She sent the caller $18,000 before realizing she was being scammed, Ruschill said.

When asked for an interview, the woman declined to comment by name, saying the fraudulent experience was embarrassing and left her feeling “vulnerable and violated.”

This story was published on March 5, 2025.