In Part 1 of this series, we discussed common cryptocurrency scams originating from scammers posing as law enforcement and government agencies demanding payment for fines and warrants in the form of cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, gift cards, wire transfers, and other forms of electronic payment. If you haven’t read Part 1 of this series, please click here to read.

However, scammers don’t always call you first, sometimes they convince you to call them. Email is one of the most highly used forms of communication around the world. It is also one of scammers’ favorite tools for finding potential victims. While many scam emails can be easy to detect just from the subject line, like that foreign Prince emailing you for an investment, some might be a bit harder to avoid.

Scammers have gotten pretty good at making emails look legitimate. Say you’re looking through your emails and see a receipt from a streaming service you use. You didn’t purchase anything recently, so you open the email to better understand why you’re being charged extra. That email has been laced with a program that triggers upon opening. As you’re reading, a popup emerges on your screen saying something like “your antivirus program needs to be updated” or “viruses have been detected on this computer.” The pop up prompts you to call support from a legitimate company, right?

STOP. Do not call the number on the screen. It's a fake number. The number on the screen will connect you to a scammer posing as a representative from an antivirus program or a legitimate software company. From here, a scare tactic begins. The scammer will tell you that they’re looking at your computer and have found illegal content on it, such as child pornography, or that charges are being made on your credit card to illegal gambling operations or for illegal content. Despite your protests that these allegations are false, the scammer will tell you that you’re going to be transferred to law enforcement.

The fear tactics only escalate.

A new voice comes on the line. It’s another scammer, but you don’t know that. This scammer, posing as law enforcement, will tell you that you’re going to be arrested for illegal activity unless you cooperate with them. To prove your cooperation, the scammer will ask you to send them cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin. In the case that the scammer says your money is going to suspicious places, they’ll either tell you to send your assets (aka bank account contents) to them via cryptocurrency to “protect” your assets or transfer you to another scammer posing as someone from your bank. The scammer posing as the bank will confirm that your money is involved in illegal activity and confirm that you need to send your assets via cryptocurrency to a specific location or else you’ll be reported to law enforcement.

PHEW. That was a lot, but there’s a simple way to avoid it.

If and when you do receive a popup on your screen, take a photo of the popup and then do your own research to find a verified phone number for the company the popup claims to be from. Give that legitimate phone number a call and discuss what the popup says with that company. NEVER REACH OUT TO THE PHONE NUMBER PROVIDED TO YOU ON THE POPUP.

You will NEVER receive a popup on your screen from a government agency, so if you get one, it is a scam. 

Scammers are becoming very proficient in spoofing (imitating) legitimate email addresses and phone numbers. You should question what’s happening, especially if you are being asked for payment and/or being threatened, and find your own phone number to call in order to verify the information you’ve received.

If you believe you are the victim of a financial scam, call the Mesa County Sheriff's Office at 970-242-6707.