#CryptoScamSurge warns residents about an alarming increase in cryptocurrency scams that have already cost local victims more than $60,000 in recent weeks.

In a community alert issued on Tuesday, police reported that scammers use fake calls, emails, pop-up messages on the computer, and even text messages to convince residents that they are being investigated or that their finances are in jeopardy. The scammers then instruct their victims to withdraw cash and deposit it into cryptocurrency ATMs as a way to "protect" their money or "cooperate with the authorities".