Callers posing as troopers are demanding gift cards and crypto to clear warrants

Someone has been calling Alaskans, claiming to be a state trooper and demanding gift cards or cryptocurrency to pay off outstanding warrants, Alaska State Troopers said Friday.

Troopers said they have received multiple reports of the calls. "These calls are not real — law enforcement will never ask you for money over the phone," the agency said in a post on X. Troopers urged people not to share personal or financial information by phone with anyone they don't know.

The pitch is a familiar one. Scammers posing as police may say you missed jury duty or are suspected of a crime and must pay a fine or "bail" to avoid arrest, the Alaska Department of Law warned in April. Some call a cryptocurrency ATM a "safety locker" or a "bail forfeiture machine." Attorney General Stephen Cox said "no legitimate business, bank, or law enforcement officer is going to ask you to feed cash into a crypto ATM—not for bail, not to 'protect' your money, not for anything."

A real officer's name or a real police number on caller ID doesn't mean the call is legitimate, the Federal Trade Commission says. Its advice: Hang up, don't call the number back, and check with the agency using a phone number or website you already know is real.

A state law that took effect Oct. 1 adds a check at the machine. Cryptocurrency kiosk operators in Alaska must now post a warning in bold type telling customers to stop the transaction if someone on the phone claims to be a law enforcement officer or government agent, and must display contact information for the troopers. The law caps deposits at $1,000 a day and $10,000 over 30 days. It also requires operators to refund fraud victims in full, including fees, if the victim notifies the operator within 90 days and provides a police report or sworn statement within 120 days after that. Alaska News reported May 19 on the bill's final House vote.

Alaskans reported nearly $40 million in losses to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025, and $18.6 million of it involved cryptocurrency, according to the bureau's annual report. Alaskans 60 and older reported $16.3 million in losses.

Anyone who has already paid should act quickly, according to the FTC. For a gift card, call the issuer at the number on the back of the card, say a scammer got the card number and PIN, and ask for a refund. For cryptocurrency, contact the exchange or ATM operator, report the transaction as fraud and ask that it be reversed. Scams can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.