Jessamine County sheriff warns against increasing scams
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Jessamine County Sheriff Kevin Grimes is urging people to be cautious as scams continue to rise in the community.
'We're not going to solve these problems overnight. But if people get more and more aware of what's going on, maybe that'll help us,' said Grimes.
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Just last week, he said two people were scammed out of a total of $60,000.
Grimes said the likelihood of getting that money back is almost impossible, and the chances of holding the scammer accountable are just as unlikely. He said anyone can become a victim, too.
'They don't necessarily discriminate. They don't just pick older people. But a lot of times, that is who they would target because they're more susceptible to some of the things we've done. But we've had some people in their 20s and 30s that have fallen victim here in the past few weeks to these things, too,' Grimes told FOX 56.
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These scams come in a variety of disguises. Some come in the form of computer viruses, false bill collections, alleged missed court appointments that come with the threat of arrest, and even fake bank notifications asking for private information and money transfers.
Grimes told FOX 56 that his office is regularly posting about these scams on social media, but people are becoming numb to the posts.
'It's almost like crying wolf,' he said. 'We're putting out so much that people aren't even reading them anymore. They're not even commenting on them because they say, 'Hey, there's another one, another scam.''
Many times, these scammers request people to wire money to them using Bitcoin, which the sheriff said should be one of the first major red flags people notice.
He said the sheriff's office put out signs at Bitcoin machines around Jessamine County as a last-ditch effort to help people keep their money safe.
The signs warn people that attempting to send any form of Bitcoin to the sheriff's office is a sign of a scam and that the office will 'never' call requesting money in place of warrants or fines.
'People who are legitimate businesspeople and law enforcement, and courts and things like that, we never ask for money to be deposited into Bitcoin machines,' Grimes said.
He encouraged anyone who thinks they might be dealing with a scam artist to stop and evaluate the situation before making a decision that could have long-term consequences.
'If in doubt, call. Call your bank, call law enforcement, call someone else. Have that conversation. Don't pay anybody money. I'm not going to come and arrest you. Because that's just not how we operate. And sadly, they're scaring people into doing it.'
The Sheriff told FOX 56 that his office has been in contact with federal authorities regarding the situation and are working with them in some ways. But due to the sophistication of some of these scams, the fact that many of them come from other countries, and due to changing technology, it is hard to come to a solution.
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