Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is warning of another scam that fleeced local residents out of tens of thousands of dollars - this time targeting family members of inmates in the Bexar County jail.
Earlier this month, Salazar warned about scams in which callers pose as BCSO deputies and claim victims owe fines for missing jury duty, then directed them to Bitcoin teller machines where the unsuspecting people think they are paying the fines.
A scam on Friday worked similarly, but targeted the parents of a man recently booked into the Bexar County jail, Salazar said at a news conference Saturday. The couple, who are in their 70s and live in Comal County, got a call from someone who claimed to be with BCSO and said they could get their son out of jail if they made some payments.
They got the call at around 3 p.m. and stayed on the phone for eight hours, driving from Comal County into San Antonio to various retail establishments to send money through these Bitcoin machines.
By the end, they were out $25,000.
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"These are just good people that want to get their son out and thought they were doing the best they could do as parents, and unfortunately, these scammers took advantage," Salazar said.
Salazar said the scammers can "spoof" calls to make them seem more legit. The caller ID will often say the call is coming from the sheriff's office and even have the correct phone number for BCSO.
Salazar emphasized that law enforcement will never call citizens to demand money, nor instruct them to pay fines via convenience store machines or Bitcoin.
The sheriff added that he is working with San Antonio city council to try to require Bitcoin machine operators in the city to post warning signs about possible scams.
This article originally published at Sheriff Salazar warns of jail scam that cost elderly couple $25K in Bitcoin payments.