Crypto, Extortion, Rental Car, Facebook Marketplace Scams Reported In Loudoun County

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Multiple scams have been reported in Loudoun County over the past week, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Scams have varied in nature and included extortion attempts, fake buyers on Facebook Marketplace, and fake rental car companies.

On Friday, the sheriff's office received a report of a scam in Leesburg. The victim had posted an item for sale on Facebook Marketplace and received interest from a buyer.

The prospective buyer sent the victim a check that was worth more than the item. They then asked the seller to refund the difference through Zelle, which she did. Authorities did not say whether the check cleared.

On Saturday, an Ashburn resident said he called a rental car company in an attempt to rent a vehicle, police said. He was then instructed to purchase a Green Dot card and provide the numbers, which he did. When the man went to pick up the car, he realized that he had been scammed.

In Sterling, deputies received a report of an extortion on Sunday. A man said he had sent revealing photos of himself to a person he met online, according to the police report. The person demanded that the victim send money through Venmo, or the photos would be released. The victim complied.

Another scam was reported on Monday in Aldie. The victim told police that he received a message from a friend over social media. The friend said they could make a lot of money by purchasing cryptocurrency, according to the police report.

The friend instructed the victim to send money through Zelle. The victim sent the money and later learned that his friend's account had been hacked and this was a scam.

The Federal Trade Commission offers several recommendations and tips for people to avoid scams whenever possible.

• Block unwanted calls and text messages.
• Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect.
• Resist the pressure to act immediately.
• Know how scammers tell you to pay.
  • Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
• Stop and talk to someone you trust.