Bitcoin Scam Targets US County Residents With Fake Warrants

A scam email targeting residents of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is falsely soliciting Bitcoin payments to resolve supposed arrest warrants. The fraudulent emails claim to be from authorities like the “FDIC government office warrant division” and include misleading subject lines such as “Montgomery County Sheriff office false claims division.” These emails contain fake documents, including a purported warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which instruct victims to deposit funds into a “digital escrow” account via a Coinstar Bitcoin terminal. One document requested a payment of $5,000. Montgomery County’s District Attorney, Kevin Steele, and Sheriff Sean Kilkenny have issued warnings, emphasizing that real warrants do not involve payment and that Bitcoin is not accepted by the county’s courts. Victims are advised to contact the authorities directly if they have concerns or have already fallen victim to the scam.