Taylorville Police Department seeing increase in cryptocurrency scams

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - The Taylorville Police Department is seeing an increase in scams related to cryptocurrency.

Scammers will often target senior citizens. They call victims and say they've kidnapped a family member, have an unpaid bill, or that their bank account was compromised. They will then instruct that person to go to a cryptocurrency kiosk and send money to them via a currency like Bitcoin. These kiosks allow people to deposit money in exchange for one of these currencies.

"We've seen an increase in cryptocurrency scams just because it's a lot easier to go through the Bitcoin machines for victims than it is to go to a bank or a gift card purchasing place, just because there's no human interaction," said Kirsten Beaman, an officer with the Taylorville Police Department. "There's not a lot of questions when people are doing it."

A law signed in August 2024 limited the amount of money a new user could exchange to $2,500. But scammers are now telling people to travel to multiple machines.

Beaman said it's very difficult to return money to people in these scams because cryptocurrencies are global. Local police departments cannot track down international scammers targeting local people. She said you should never send anyone cryptocurrency via one of these machines.

"I have never heard of a legitimate reason for it," Beaman said. "Anytime someone tells you to do something through gift cards or through cryptocurrency or anything else like that, or they tell you to lie, it's always a red flag. And it's always one of those things where you should stop and think, especially when it comes to large amounts of money."

If you get a call that seems suspicious, hang up. If the person claims to be from a bank, call that bank directly. If they say they are a family member or kidnapped someone, call that family member. Scammers will often give up if you resist. Beaman says they use fear to make you panic.

She encourages people to educate their older grandparents, other family members, or friends. Set up a plan with them on what to do if they think a call is suspicious.

"It's really big because the younger generations are a lot more technology-friendly than our seniors," Beaman said. "While it's not just our seniors that are affected, it is largely them because they grew up in a time where this wasn't as common."

If you are a victim of one of these scams or believe you are receiving a scam call, contact your local police department.

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