Bitcoin Warning Issued To Wisconsin Residents

'Tis the season for scammers! A quick search of scams in Wisconsin provides a pretty lengthy list but this one caught my eye. A local police department in Wisconsin has reported a Bitcoin scam you should be aware of.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Police Department shared a message on social media late last month, writing that they have seen an increase in Bitcoin scams. One particular type of Bitcoin scam they mentioned is scary because it happens in person.

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According to their warning, this Bitcoin scam starts with a victim getting some type of call or message that one of their accounts has been compromised and they 'need to transfer funds into a Bitcoin machine' located at a local gas station.

I do not know much about Bitcoin so I would have no idea to know that this is wrong. Obviously, if you think you are speaking to a government agency or a professional business, they will not ask you to pay in Bitcoin, nor at a local gas station.

When you get a message from a scammer, it seems urgent which can cause you to lose common sense or go without questioning something you usually would. Unfortunately, as the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department points out, this is the worse type of scam because you can't get your money back.

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They also offered up a few other tactics scammers using Bitcoin scams may use, including:

• Threatening tax debt
• Threatening immigration problems
• Threatening arrest

As always, use caution when making any sort of moves. If you are in doubt, call or reach out to that organization you're getting correspondence from and start there. Save yourself a big headache in the future!