West Virginia court warns public over fake jury scams demanding Bitcoin

The United States District Court of the Western District of Virginia has warned the public over the recent exploit of criminals and scammers across the state. In its memo, the court mentioned that the criminals have been forging counterfeit arrest warrants, targeting people in the region.

According to reports, the scammers have targeted several individuals, accusing them of missing jury duties. The criminals convince their victims and end up offering them a way out, which is usually a payment in Bitcoin or gift cards. To achieve this, they make use of realistic court style documents and urgent threats to exploit their victims.

West Virginia court issues public warning over rising scams

According to reports, after their victims have agreed to pay the penalty for missing jury duty, the criminals then guide them on how to pay using Bitcoin and other methods. “The scammers demand payment by Bitcoin, gift cards, or bank account information to resolve the issue,” the statement reads.

A copy of the fake arrest warrant used by the scammers. Source: United States District Court of the Western District of Virginia.

The West Virginia court also urged individuals not to fall for these scams as the court won’t issue arrest warrants for missing jury duty unless they have been previously summoned and missed it. “Please be advised that the United States District Courts do not issue arrest warrants for failing to appear for jury duty unless you have been summoned for jury duty and fail to appear,” the statement continued.

The West Virginia court also urged individuals to clarify if the calls are genuine if they are contacted for failing to show up for jury duty. It also asked those who have received suspicious messages to pay using Bitcoin, gift cards, and other methods to contact them. “If you receive an arrest warrant or other document purportedly from the United States District Courts that demands money, particularly Bitcoin and gift cards with payment by phone, please contact the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia,” the statement said.

Bitcoin ATM-related fraud continues to grow unchecked in the US

This case is not isolated as other states in the country have witnessed a rise in these kinds of scams. For instance, a previous report mentioned the rise in the activities of con artists targeting elderly people in Pima County in Arizona. These criminals pretend to be officers from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) to carry out several evil activities. Financial Crimes Detective in PCSD Michael Wilson mentioned that the rate of these crimes has ticked up these past few days.

He mentioned that the criminals employed the same tactics of threatening elderly ones of not showing up and noting that they have a warrant for their arrest. “They will say: Hey you unfortunately didn’t show up for jury duty and as a result, you have a warrant for your arrest,” Wilson said. Wilson mentioned that PCSD has been trying to sensitize the general public about these issues. He noted that they have begun hanging signs on top of these ATMs to dissuade people from sending funds to criminal elements under the guise of missing jury duty.

The rise in Bitcoin ATMs have been on the rise in America over the last few months, with such activities going unchecked. In a report from September 2024, several Senators wrote to Bitcoin ATM operators to check the increase in scams being carried out using their machines. The report mentioned that the criminals were targeting elderly people. While things have been expected to change, it looks like the situation continues to go from bad to worse.

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