DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – We know scamming is not new but what is new, is scammers asking victims to use crypto currency to make payments.

“The methods that they use to receive the money is what really should be a red flag,” said chief county detective Corey Dickerson.

Dickson says any law enforcement entity would never ask you to pay with crypto currency, Bitcoin, Cash App, Venmo or apply pay.

“The method that these criminals are using is…more evolved, more intricate, so it makes it more believable,” said Dickerson.

Dickerson says for about two months people in Dauphin County have been receiving calls from a 717-area code claiming they’re with the Dauphin County Sheriff’s Department and that the person has a warrant out for their arrest for failure to appear for jury duty.

“They get people nervous and anxious and then they tell them that they have to pay in order to get out of the warrants,” said Dickerson.

Dickerson says a person in their thirties lost about $55,000 paying the scammers over a period of a week.

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“Once you pay them, they don’t stop. They continue to call. They tell you to continue to check in with them every few hours until the warrant is lifted. They tell you if you come down to the sheriff’s department that you’re going to be arrested. So don’t come down there,” said Dickerson.

Dickerson says when there is an actual warrant for a person’s arrest, that person does have to come down to the station.

He also says, law enforcement would never call you to tell you, you have a warrant, they would just show up at your home.

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“There’s so much technology out there where, you know, a person doing scams, they can call you know, hundreds of numbers within the hour. They only need a couple of people to fall for this game. And it’s hard to trace because of, again, technology,” said Dickerson. Dickerson says a phone number the scammers are using is, 717-780-6590.

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