Someone claiming to be a sheriff's deputy calls and says you missed jury duty or owe money to avoid arrest. The caller seems local. Then comes an image of a uniformed person beside a Bitcoin ATM, appearing to show you where to pay. The image may feel more convincing than a voice alone.
Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich warned residents about this combination in a Facebook post reported by WILX on October 24, 2026. WILX followed up October 26. The sheriff described spoofed local-looking numbers and AI-generated pictures of purported deputies near cryptocurrency machines. The underlying impersonation and Bitcoin-payment scams are established; the photo-based persuasion is the recent detail. Neither report gives a count of victims, a confirmed loss total, or dates for individual contacts.
Sources: WILX News 10 · WILX News 10
The deputy in the picture may not exist
WILX reported that the sheriff's office had seen images it described as AI-generated showing a supposed deputy near a cryptocurrency machine. One giveaway in examples described by investigators was an incorrect uniform color. Callers also reportedly used invented deputy names.
But spotting a wrong-colored shirt is not a reliable safety test. An image with the correct uniform could still be staged, altered, or unrelated to the person calling. The reporting does not include independent image-forensic testing, so the AI attribution belongs to the sheriff's warning. The core question is whether an actual agency independently confirms the payment request.
Sources: WILX News 10 · WILX News 10
An old arrest threat gets a visual prop
The reported scripts involve claims of missed jury duty, an unpaid citation, or emergency bail for a relative. A caller claiming official authority pressures the recipient to deposit money into a Bitcoin ATM. A convincing local caller ID can be spoofed, and the additional photograph can make the invented process look routine.
Those claims should be checked outside the call. The FTC has long warned about police impostors and cryptocurrency kiosks. Its earlier guidance makes clear that official-looking caller details do not make an unexpected arrest or payment demand real.
Sources: WILX News 10 · Federal Trade Commission
The payment method is the decisive warning sign
The Federal Trade Commission explained the basic rule in a September 2024 consumer advisory. It applies even when a caller presents a photo, a badge number, or a local number:
No law-enforcement agency can turn an unsolicited demand to feed a cryptocurrency kiosk into an official process by showing a photograph. The sheriff said deputies do not call residents to demand money for fines, bonds, or crypto transactions.
“Don’t believe anyone who says you need to use a Bitcoin ATM to protect your money or fix a problem.”
Sources: Federal Trade Commission · WILX News 10
What to do when a purported deputy calls
End the conversation.
Do not deposit cash, share banking details, or follow instructions sent with the image. Do not keep talking while supposedly verifying the demand.
Verify from scratch.
Locate the relevant sheriff's office through its official county website and ask whether anyone is trying to reach you. For Eaton County, the county site lists the sheriff's office contact details.
Check the supposed court issue.
If you really are concerned about jury duty or a citation, use the court's official website or independently published clerk's phone number.
Do not judge by appearance.
A familiar caller ID, realistic uniform, or convincing photo cannot authenticate an unsolicited payment order.
Sources: Eaton County Sheriff · Federal Trade Commission
If you used a Bitcoin ATM or shared information
Contact the kiosk operator and any exchange or bank involved immediately. Explain that the transfer was induced by fraud and ask whether any part can be frozen or recovered. Cryptocurrency transfers are often difficult to reverse, and no recovery is guaranteed.
Save the caller ID, messages, screenshots and transaction receipts without forwarding the scammer's links to others. Report the contact to local police and ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you disclosed a password, change it through the genuine account; if you provided sensitive identity information, follow the FTC's identity-theft guidance.
PhoneYa can help you look up a suspicious number or share a community report, but it cannot identify who actually called or certify a number as safe. Spoofed numbers may belong to innocent people.
Sources: Federal Trade Commission · Federal Trade Commission · Federal Trade Commission
Sources & further reading
- WILX News 10Eaton County Sheriff warns of scam using AI-generated deputy photos and Bitcoin demands, October 24, 2026
- WILX News 10AI scams targeting Michigan residents, experts warn, October 26, 2026
- Eaton County SheriffOfficial Office of the Sheriff contact page, accessed October 27, 2026
- Federal Trade CommissionScammers are impersonating local law enforcement, June 2025
- Federal Trade CommissionScammers use Bitcoin ATMs to steal your money, September 2024
- Federal Trade CommissionWhat To Do if You Were Scammed, updated June 2026
By PhoneYa Editorial, based on the sources above.