Ross resident scammed for more than $8,000 by caller claiming to be from Sheriff's Office

Ross police are investigating a scam that snatched more than $8,000 from a township resident who thought they were sending the money to the county sheriff.

The victim received a call with a caller ID reading “Allegheny Cnty Sheriffs Dept,” during which they were told that an arrest warrant had been issued for failure to show up for jury duty, according to Mike Manko, the public information officer at the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

The caller requested $8,550 in bitcoin in order to clear the warrant, Manko said, which the victim sent through a bitcoin ATM.

The investigation has been unable to isolate the account that received the funds, but Manko said they tracked the money to France through the large cryptocurrency exchange known as Binance.

Though Ross police are still looking into the scam, Deputy Chief Brian Kohlhepp said tracking cryptocurrency is very difficult and a positive resolution to scams like these is “rare.”

In recent years, Kohlhepp said he has noticed an increase in scams, some of which are quite sophisticated and convincing.

As for the Sheriff’s Office, Manko said it would never serve a warrant or request payment by phone, nor does it accept electronic transfers of funds for warrants or fines. If residents receive suspicious calls, Manko said they should not hand over any money and immediately report the call to the agency’s Investigations Division.