Hoover police investigating alleged scam involving Bitcoin machine

The Hoover Police Department wants to alert residents of a potential scam targeting older folks.

The police department said the scam works by using a pop-up ad on a computer, telling the victim there’s a problem with an account and to call a phone number.

Once the victim calls that number, the person on the other end pretends to be with a financial institution and instructs the victim to withdraw thousands of dollars in cash to fix the account problem.

The victim is then told to insert that cash into a Bitcoin machine located at a local business.

Two such cases like this have appeared in Hoover, and one victim was asked to withdraw $20,000, said the HPD.

There are things you can do to be aware of scams:

• keep a frequent check on your accounts
• a scam usually involves converting cash into another form, cryptocurrency or gift cards
• scam suspects speak urgently and don’t want you to contact the police or anyone else
• legitimate businesses, like a bank, will not ask for personal information over the phone
• if it seems suspicious, hang up and contact law enforcement