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Judicial branch warns about new scam asking for cash deposits at Bitcoin machines

A man stands before an x-ray machine, checking bags for weapons.
David Dudley
/
Wyoming Public Media
Joe Hartigan, security operations manager at the Wyoming Supreme Court, monitors the magnetometer on a Monday morning.

This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.

A new scam is making the rounds in Wyoming.

It goes something like this: You get a phone call, text or email from a bad actor posing as a court official. That person says there's a warrant for your arrest because you've failed to appear for jury duty, or some other made-up crime. Then, to avoid arrest and additional fines, they ask you to deposit cash into a specific account via a local CoinStar Bitcoin machine.

But a representative from the Wyoming judicial branch says that such communications are not connected with Wyoming law enforcement officers or state courts. Wyoming court representatives will never ask you to pay money to anyone other than the court clerk in your area.

Wyomingites should be suspicious of receiving communications demanding funds and/or threatening jail time for refusal to pay.

Suspicious activity should be reported to local law enforcement or court clerks.

This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.

David Dudley is an award-winning journalist who has written for The Guardian, The Christian Science Monitor, High Country News, WyoFile, and the Wyoming Truth, among many others. David was a Guggenheim Crime in America Fellow at John Jay College from 2020-2023. During the past 10 years, David has covered city and state government, business, economics and public safety beats for various publications. He lives in Cheyenne with his family.

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