Storey County Deputies Do Not Accept Bitcoin
The Storey County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning about a phone scam currently making rounds, proving once again that while crime may not pay, it will happily invoice you in cryptocurrency.
Several citizens have reported receiving phone calls from a gentleman who introduces himself as a Storey County deputy. He speaks with the urgency of a man who has misplaced his horse and blames you for it.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the fellow insists there is a federal warrant for the listener’s arrest and that the matter can be settled quickly, quietly, and, most modern of all, by bitcoin. The caller threatens arrest if his digital ransom ain't paid, which is bold talk for a man who cannot even drive to your house and knock hard.
The Sheriff’s Office, in a statement posted to Facebook, the modern town square where wisdom and cat videos mingle freely, reminded the public of two important facts: First, they will never demand payment over the phone. Second, they will never request payment in Bitcoin, suggesting that if a real deputy ever does come calling, he will do so in person, in daylight, and with paperwork heavy enough to be convincing.
It is worth noting that law enforcement, though occasionally stern, has not yet adopted the practice of collecting fines in invisible internet coins traded by men named “CryptoKing_54.” Nor do they resolve federal warrants with the same efficiency as ordering socks online.
The Sheriff’s Office advises that if you receive such a call and begin to feel that your freedom now depends upon a password and a digital wallet, you should hang up. Then call the Sheriff’s Office directly at (775) 847-0959.
They are real people. They answer phones, and they prefer their justice served the old-fashioned way without a QR code.
In these modern times, it seems a criminal need not wear a mask, only a convincing tone of authority and a Wi-Fi signal. Still, there remains one reliable defense against such villainy: common sense.
It ain't peddled on any exchange, but it holds its value remarkably well.
