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Pennsylvania Man Warned of Covid-19 Cryptocurrency Scam
SCRANTON – A nationwide cryptocurrency scam has been making waves in Pennsylvania, targeting unsuspecting individuals with non-existent arrest warrants.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the scam involves forged court documentation claiming that the recipient is being investigated for Payroll Protection Program (PPP) fraud and is the subject of an arrest warrant.
The documents, often sent on behalf of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, advise the recipient that to lift the arrest warrant, they must make a payment through a cryptocurrency kiosk.
The United States Attorney’s Office is warning the public that these solicitations are unapproved and illegitimate.
If you receive solicitations to lift an arrest warrant in exchange for cryptocurrency payments, you should not respond or follow those instructions.
Please report these scams to law enforcement by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721, or by submission to the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
You also may report the scam to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at: https://www.ic3.gov/.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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