The Bartonville Police Department warned residents Friday night of a new scam that “has already claimed several victims.”
“Victims have reported receiving messages on their personal computers claiming they have been implicated in crimes in other countries,” Bartonville PD said in a statement shared on social media. “Victims have been threatened with criminal prosecution and holds against their personal accounts by the Federal Trade Commission and Securities Exchange Commission. Which are very intimidating threats designed to provoke a fear response and make the victim more malleable to their extortion techniques.”
The scammer has introduced himself as “David,” and he speaks with a strong middle eastern dialect and says he is from New York.
“He claims for a fee, the victim can avoid having their bank accounts sanctioned and criminal prosecution,” police said. “The victims have been instructed to go to different locations and bring cash. They have been instructed to transfer the money via a Bitcoin ATM or by other means. ‘David’ claims to be an intermediary between the victim and law enforcement.”
Scammers will often use threats of holds against your accounts by your financial institution to keep you from contacting them for assistance because your financial institution has trained employees who will bring the fraud to your attention, police said.
“If in doubt, please contact your bank or your local law enforcement, just don’t fall victim to this type of fraud,” BPD said.
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