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Wood County sheriff's office warns residents about phone and cryptocurrency scams
Summary
Chief Deputy Quinton Ellis urged residents to hang up on callers seeking gift cards, Bitcoin or payment over the phone, described tactics used by scammers and urged people to verify contacts through official numbers; he said one victim recently lost about $1,500 but some victims have been made whole after reporting.
Chief Deputy Quinton Ellis told listeners on WFHR that scammers continue to target Wood County residents with phone and cryptocurrency‑related schemes and urged caution: hang up, verify numbers through official county or dispatch channels, and never pay by gift card or cryptocurrency.
"We're not going to ask for payment over the phone. We're never going to ask for gift cards, Bitcoin, or any other non-standard payment procedure," Ellis said. He warned that scammers sometimes impersonate sheriff's employees and may claim missed jury duty or an outstanding warrant to create urgency.
Ellis said the department has taken a proactive approach to several types of scams, including earlier work on cryptocurrency‑kiosk fraud. He described one recent victim who lost about $1,500 and noted that department staff were able in other cases to assist in recovering funds. "If you have a name that you don't recognize saying they're from the sheriff's department, terminate contact with them," he said.
Practical advice Ellis offered included using a published nonemergency phone number to verify callers, contacting dispatch to ask for the person you were speaking with, and not calling a number shown on caller ID back without checking it against an official source. "Don't call the number back that's on your caller ID," he said.
Ellis added that family members should remind elderly relatives and other vulnerable people to be wary of pressure tactics that force hasty payment decisions. He encouraged victims to report scams so investigators can help and, where possible, seek reversal of charges.
The interview contained no formal enforcement actions or new local rules; Ellis framed the remarks as public-safety guidance and as a warning to residents to use caution and official contact channels.
