Costly Minnesota Law Enforcement Scam Claims 5th Victim in the Rochester Area
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A fourth Olmsted County resident has fallen victim to a costly law-enforcement scam that has plagued the Rochester area for several weeks.
Read More: Third Rochester-Area Resident Falls Victim to Costly Law Enforcement Scam
In late April three residents lost a combined $8,000 to the scam. The three victims sent money to the scammers through bitcoin.
Another resident was swindled out of $16,000 after she fell victim to a similar scam last month.
Read More: Law Enforcement Impersonation Scam Costs Rochester Woman Thousands
Two out-of-state men have since been charged in that case after instructing the victim to turn the money over to them near the Olmsted County Government Center.
The scam involves a person claiming to be an actual member of local law enforcement and telling the victim they have to pay thousands of dollars to avoid being arrested for a missed court date or other legal issue.
Rochester Police Department Communications Coordinator Amanda Grayson said Thursday morning that the Rochester Police Department has taken numerous reports of the scam in the past two weeks.
Byron Woman Suffers Large Financial Loss from Law Enforcement Scam
Included in those reports is a 46-year-old woman from Byron who lost $1,200 to the scam. She reported getting a call from someone claiming to be an actual Captain with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.
The police report indicates says the scammer spoofed the agency’s phone number and told the woman she had missed a court date and needed to pay $9,000 in bitcoin to resolve a contempt of court charge.
The woman said she got the caller to agree to accept $1,200. She sent the money via bitcoin then followed the scammer’s instructions to go to the government center in downtown Rochester to sign paperwork.
Grayson said the victim realized she was scammed when she arrived at the government center.
Rochester Police are once again reminding the community that law enforcement will never call a citizen to collect money and that no legitimate government organization will accept bitcoin as a form of payment.
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Gallery Credit: Lauren Wells
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