As long as there is money in this world, there will be people trying to acquire it by any means necessary. Scams aren't new, they just change shape. The majority of them can be traced back to the Nigerian Prince scam of the 1990s. The characters in the story have changed and different tactics have been used, but in the end they all prey on people who are ultimately trying to do the right thing.

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The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office is issuing a scam warning to the public. The Sheriff's Department has received numerous reports from citizens indicating that they received a phone call from a suspect who claims to be Sgt. Johnson of the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office. The suspect has attempted to obtain money from the victims by falsely claiming that they have a warrant and demanding money. The suspect then encourages the victim to deposit money into a certain Bitcoin machine, and then bring the receipt to the Sheriff's Office for the warrant to be vacated.

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The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office warns people to be cautious when answering calls from numbers they do not recognize, especially if the caller asks for money. Individuals should never provide anyone with their personal credit card or bank information, or transmit any funds to a location that they are not familiar with.

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office DOES NOT call residents to tell them they have an outstanding warrant nor ask for any money.

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The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office urges anyone who receives a similar call to report it immediately by calling the non-emergency number at 815-282-2600.

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