DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A new scam involving money is targeting older adults across the state of Ohio, but fraudulent tricks are still circulating across the state aimed at just about anyone.

The Ohio Department of Aging and Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) are partnering together to issue a warning about a scam targeting older Ohioans. This warning comes after drug-related investigations led officials to uncover a cryptocurrency scam. Officials are wanting to curb the scam to prevent older adults from losing their money.

“Cryptocurrency is a form of digital or virtual currency that operates like coin and paper money and can be used for payment methods or sending and receiving funds,” the Ohio Department of Public Safety says. “Two of the most popular forms of cryptocurrency are Bitcoin and Ethereum. These scams ask individuals to pay in cryptocurrency or through cryptocurrency automated teller machines (ATMs).”

These are the types of cryptocurrency and an ATM for accessing the digital money:

Additional Scams Happening

The state of Ohio says fraudulent activities involving grandparents, impersonation of government officials and romance are still occurring.

In a romance scam, someone online, on a dating app or over the phone creates the impression that they like someone. In reality, the unknown person just targets the person searching for a loan or financial assistance.

People have used the telephone for various purposes, including an impersonation scam. These are the type where callers pretend to be someone who they are not.

A caller tells the resident they are from a police or governmental organization and demands an immediate payment. Before the resident has any time to react, they are told if they do not comply, they will be punished by police coming to their door to make an arrest.

Grandparent scams are common too. This type of scam involves calling an older adult and telling them they are their grandchild, which they are not. The caller tells the person that they are trouble, usually by the means of incarceration and pleads for the resident to send them money as soon as possible.

Be Vigilant: Tips to Take and Help Others

If someone contacts you demanding money or cryptocurrency either online or over the phone, do not send them money. It is most likely a scam. You should immediately block the person if online or social media or hang up the telephone call.

An important thing to keep in mind is protecting your personal information. If you do not personally know someone, you should not give them private information like your address, date of birth, passwords, social security or banking information, mother’s maiden name or any other information that could put your identity in danger.

To learn more about ways to protect yourself, click here.