GLASGOW, Ky. (WBKO) – The Glasgow Police Department is warning residents of a scam they say has appeared in their community.

In a Tuesday Facebook post, the agency shared the following tips for avoiding falling victim to Bitcoin ATM scams:

• Never engage with scammers trying to extort you, report them immediately to the police.
• Install as little software as you possibly can and only from major platform App stores. The more software installed, the more security holes open and the higher risk there is of installing a malicious one that will steal all your funds.
• Never enter your private keys or seed phrase into anything digital, even if it’s just for you. Don’t take a photo of it, don’t enter it into a computer or phone, don’t print it, don’t copy it with a printer or copier and don’t store it in digital form of any kind or store it in the cloud. Keep it only on a piece of paper (or steel plate), in your dedicated hardware wallet and nothing else.
• Never invest in anything that you don’t understand.
• Never engage with things that have high pressure, time limited offers. Take your time.
• Never engage with scammers, phishing emails or anyone that contacts you out of the blue. It doesn’t matter if they’re from the government or bank or famous or the police or IRS just ignore the SMS, email or message and if you’re really worried, contact that agency via their public contact details found via a separate Google search.
• Never engage with things that guarantee future earnings or lots of money.
• Never engage with famous people, they will never contact you.
• Many scams happen via online dating apps or websites. Never give anyone you haven’t met in real life your money, crypto or otherwise.
• Never accept “free” money or crypto, this is used to steal your tokens or NFTs
• Never engage with agents offering amazing job listings that you need to apply for.
• Never send any funds to another external wallet for “verification” or “fixing” your account.
• Use long, complex passwords and app-based two-factor authentication.
• Double check URLs, domain names, email addresses, social media handles, etc. If you’re unsure, Google the company and use the ones they provide on their website.

GPD said if anyone reaches out to you requesting you purchase Bitcoin or gift cards, contact the Glasgow Police Department to discuss whether or not it might be a scam before sending any money or making any purchases.

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