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Detective outlines $6.3M in local fraud losses, warns residents against paying with gift cards or via crypto kiosks
Summary
Detective Wiger told commissioners detectives handled about 430 fraud cases recently with average losses around $33,000 per victim and cumulative losses near $6.3 million; he urged residents not to answer unknown calls, avoid paying by gift cards or kiosks, and described investigative limits with cold wallets and foreign exchanges.
A major‑crimes detective updated the board on fraud and cryptocurrency scams affecting Alamance County residents and offered prevention advice.
Detective Wiger said roughly 430 fraud cases were assigned to detectives in the past two years, with an average loss per victim of about "$33,000" and cumulative losses near "$6,300,000." He described common schemes — warrant scams, gift‑card demands and cryptocurrency kiosk directions — and noted investigative constraints when suspects move money through cold wallets or overseas exchanges that do not cooperate with U.S. warrants. "Do not answer unknown phone calls," he advised, and recommended that residents never pay over the phone with gift cards or via kiosks. He also urged store clerks and business owners to be trained to spot suspicious purchases and to refuse sales when fraud is suspected.
In a question‑and‑answer exchange, commissioners asked about recouping funds and perpetrator location; the detective said investigators often focus first on recovery when possible but that suspect identification can take months, and that some warrant scams are domestic (he cited Georgia prison‑linked calls) while other schemes originate overseas. The detective said he supports stronger regulation of cryptocurrency kiosks and noted a recently signed state bill limiting kiosk use but said he favors a complete ban like measures in other states.
