An area sheriff’s office has issued a warning about a recent surge in phone scams in the community.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said there have been several reports of phone calls in which the caller identifies themselves as Sergeant Reed.” The callers allege the existence of arrest warrants due to missing jury duty or other legal issues.

Residents are then coerced into visiting specific Bitcoin and/or Cryptocurrency ATMs near their home addresses to deposit funds, or asked to send a PayPal or Venmo payment in order to avoid arrest, the sheriff’s office said.

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“These scammers can be very convincing, and while it may be tempting to place blame on the victims in hindsight, it’s crucial to recognize that these ruthless individuals successfully target people from all walks of life and age groups,” Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck emphasized.

The sheriff’s office wants to remind residents it will never make calls to threaten arrest for unpaid fines, warrants, missed court dates, or any other similar matter.

Anyone who receives these calls is advised to hang up and report the incident to their local police department.