Troopers warn of callers posing as troopers to demand gift cards and crypto

Alaska State Troopers warned Alaskans on Friday that callers claiming to be troopers are demanding gift cards and cryptocurrency to pay off outstanding warrants over the phone. The agency said it has received multiple reports of the calls.

Troopers said the calls are not real. "Law enforcement will never ask you for money over the phone," the agency said. Troopers urged people never to share personal or financial information by phone with someone they do not know.

The Federal Trade Commission describes the same pattern in a consumer alert on law enforcement impersonators. The agency says scammers may fake caller ID, threaten arrest unless a fine is paid and demand gift cards or Bitcoin ATM deposits. Anyone who gets such a call should verify it through a known official number, the FTC says.

Alaska News has covered a run of similar schemes this year, including scammers posing as the PFD Division to phish Alaskans in August. An earlier article on federal warnings to Alaska seniors noted seniors in the state lost more than $16 million to scams in 2025. Another covered a new state law on cryptocurrency kiosks, passed after a lawmaker's mother lost $8,000.

The FTC advises anyone who has already paid with a gift card or cryptocurrency to contact the card issuer, exchange or ATM operator right away and ask for a reversal or refund.