Scammers Impersonating Bell Co. Sheriff's Office
Bell County (FOX 44) – Two victims have come forward reporting they have been contacted by the Bell County Sheriff's Office stating that they had an arrest warrant for missing jury duty or another legal process.
In most cases scam victims are asked to pay over the phone and in current incidents the victims are instructed to move $25,000 into a Bitcoin Kiosk at South Ann and Veteran Memorial Boulevard in Harker Heights. Scammers try to keep the victims on the phone during the process and send instructional documents through text messages.
Although the current scam involves $25,000 and the use of the Bitcoin Kiosk in Harker Heights, any dollar amount can be demanded, and any Bitcoin Kiosk could be used.
The scammers are calling from the phone numbers of 682-281-6021 and 254-263-9924. However, any phone number can be manipulated for their use.
The Bell County Sheriff's Office wants to remind residents that they do not take money for fines and never use Bitcoin or gift cards. Even when scammers manipulate the caller ID to display the Sheriff's Office phone number (254-933-5412), disconnecting and then calling back will put you in contact with this office.
The Sheriff's Office encourages the public to verify any communication with a person claiming to be law enforcement.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man accused of defrauding Dartmouth woman nabbed in ‘reverse sting operation'
DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WPRI) — Police have arrested a New York man accused of orchestrating a scheme that scammed a Dartmouth woman out of $86,500. Arman Verma, 21, of Queens, New York, was taken into custody Wednesday following a successful 'reverse sting operation' by detectives with the Dartmouth Police Department and a special agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The investigation began last month, when the victim claimed she had been defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars through a sophisticated phone scam, according to police. The woman told detectives that she received several phone calls from an unidentified man who claimed to work for Bank of America and Microsoft. The man told the victim repeatedly that her bank account and computer had been compromised, and that she would need to hand over cash to fix the problem, according to police. Police said that, over the course of several weeks, the man called the woman at least five times and sent someone to pick up 'substantial amounts of cash' from her residence. The victim was instructed to take a photograph of the cash and send it to an email address to confirm that it was ready to be picked up, according to police. Detectives organized the reverse sting operation after Verma called the victim again on Wednesday and requested an additional $30,000. SEE ALSO: Detectives stop woman from losing $20K in Bitcoin scam Verma has been charged with attempting to commit larceny of over $1,200 by false pretenses, larceny of under $1,200 and conspiracy. 'Money scams and financial fraud pose a serious threat to the safety and well-being of our community and will not be tolerated,' Dartmouth Police Chief Brian Levesque said. 'The Dartmouth Police Department is committed to investigating every report of financial deception, holding perpetrators accountable and protecting our residents from those who seek to exploit them for personal gain.' The investigation into Verma's scheme is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Dartmouth Detective Kyle Berube at (508) 910-1760. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
$10K tactical robot purchase discovery leads to answers from Sheriff's Office
ST. LOUIS – From an alleged secret luxury vehicle to the latest FOX 2 discovery of new tactical robots, the St. Louis Sheriff's Office is now breaking its silence with the media. 'That's kind of an inexpensive way to take a small shot at a big problem,' retired judge David Mason said in response to our latest findings. Mason recently left 34 years as a circuit court judge to join the St. Louis Sheriff's Office as its lawyer. Missouri statute only allows him to be paid $15,000 a year for the job, which Mason said is proof he's only representing Sheriff Alfred Montgomery because he wants to. 'He's young, but he has a lot of vision about what he wants to do,' Mason said of Sheriff Montgomery. He agreed to talk on behalf of the Sheriff to answer FOX 2's latest discovery of two tactical robots that cost a combined $10k. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The office showed us one of them in action. 'It's a stopgap immediate measure for a big security problem,' Mason said. We've seen cases of courtroom violence because Mason said other courthouses have cameras everywhere, but not in St. Louis. 'We know that if somebody wants to take over a courtroom,' the retired judge said, '…we don't know what's going on in there.' He says the roving remote robot could be the eyes to help court security respond to a threat. 'Security is job one,' Mason said. He also agreed to address the new Chevy Tahoe we revealed on FOX 2 Thursday: 'Historically, the car for the Sheriff has been purchased from that budget, and that's what this Sheriff did.' Mason said funds were used that don't impact taxpayers; rather, he said they came from a pot of fees collected from things like the office's process serving. He said the vehicle will be Sheriff Montgomery's take-home car, adding, 'There's always a car available to make sure business is done and that's really what it comes down to.' Mason said more changes are coming. He also promised the Sheriff's Office will be more open about those changes – as we continue following decisions that impact the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Photos show alleged crypto kidnapping victim 'having a good time' at Soho townhouse
The Brief Newly obtained photos show alleged Italian kidnapping victim Michael Carturan at the posh Soho townhouse of accused torturers John Woeltz and William Duplessie. One photo shows him shirtless and smiling with a neck collar attached to a leash, pulled by a woman. Another video shows him having sex with a woman. Carturan reported escaping on May 23, alleging threats and torture for his Bitcoin password; suspects face charges including kidnapping and assault. NEW YORK - Photos obtained by TMZ reveal a wild scene inside the Soho townhouse where Italian crypto investor Michael Carturan was allegedly tortured and held captive by John Woeltz and William Duplessie. What we know TMZ's photos depict Carturan, whose face is blurred, shirtless and smiling with a neck collar attached to a leash, pulled by a woman. The images, captured between May 11 and May 13, show multiple people in the room, though it's unclear if Woeltz or Duplessie are present. A video, not shown in this report, appears to show Carturan having sex with a woman. What they're saying Charles Latibeaudiere, executive producer at TMZ, said these photos show this case in a new light. "It definitely paints a much different picture from what police and prosecutors have said went down in that Soho townhouse. The question is: Did it change? So what we've seen in these photos that we've obtained, Michael the Italian investor seems to be enjoying himself with the women who are there," Latibeaudiere said. Former NYPD detective Michael Alcazar commented that the photos and video suggest Carturan was a willing participant, appearing to enjoy himself. "The photos and video is good for the perpetrators," Alcazar told FOX 5 NY, "It seems like he was a willing participant. It sure looked like he was having a good time." Alcazar noted that police will identify and question everyone in the videos and photos to verify the events, including checking DNA evidence and fingerprints. The backstory Carturan escaped on May 23, reporting to police that the suspects used a saw to cut his leg and threatened him for his Bitcoin password. Prosecutors say Duplessie and Woeltz lured the victim to the posh townhouse on May 6 by threatening to kill his family. For 17 days, the two investors tormented him with electrical wires, forced him to smoke from a crack pipe and at one point dangled him from a staircase five stories high, prosecutors allege. Duplessie and Woelyz face several changes, including kidnapping and assault. The Source This article uses reporting from TMZ, the Associated Press and background from former NYPD detective Michael Alcazar.
