BOSSIER PARISH, La. — The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office is alerting the public to a scam in which callers posing as deputies demand payments through Bitcoin kiosks or other cryptocurrency platforms.
In a recent incident, a resident received a call from someone falsely claiming to be a deputy sheriff. The caller used a private number, cited a fake badge number, and referenced real employees and offices to appear legitimate. The victim was told there were outstanding warrants for their arrest and was instructed to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin kiosk to resolve the issue. The victim complied and suffered a financial loss before the caller disconnected.
Sheriff Julian Whittington said the situation was a scam and stressed that deputies never demand payments by phone or accept cryptocurrency.
“Let me be very clear, no deputy with the Bossier Sheriff’s Office will ever call or text someone demanding money, threatening arrest, or instructing them to use Bitcoin, kiosks, gift cards, or wire transfers,” Whittington said. “If you receive a call like this, it is a scam. Hang up immediately and contact us directly.”
The Sheriff’s Office listed several red flags associated with the scam, including:
- Calls claiming to be from law enforcement demanding immediate payment
- Threats of arrest if instructions are not followed
- Requests for payment through Bitcoin, kiosks, gift cards, or wire transfers
- Instructions to stay on the phone and avoid talking to anyone else
- Calls from private or spoofed numbers
- Requests for personal or financial information
Officials reminded residents that law enforcement does not collect fines, fees, or warrant payments by phone and does not accept cryptocurrency as payment. Warrants and jury matters are handled in person through the courts.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call is urged to hang up and contact the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office directly at (318) 965-2203.