Parke County Sheriff's Office investigating fraud report

Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 9:11 AM

By Paul Gable

A demand for money and an outstanding warrant that didn't really exist are at the center of a fraud investigation by the Parke County Sheriff's Office.

According to law enforcement officials, the Parke County Sheriff's Office was notified last month of an attempted fraud involving a county resident.

The victim told police they received a phone call from an individual stating the victim had an outstanding warrant and needed to resolve the matter immediately. The caller told the victim to withdraw $12,000 in cash and deposit the funds into a Bitcoin ATM to avoid arrest.

The resident told police she received text messages displaying a warrant, and she received multiple calls as well. When the victim told the caller she was going to contact police, the caller placed another call from a number that appeared to be the Parke County Sheriff's Office and identified themselves as a law enforcement official.

The Parke County Sheriff's Office reminds residents they will never request payment over the phone via text message or ask for any cryptocurrencies. In addition, law enforcement will never call someone to let them know they have a warrant. Should residents receive calls from someone portraying themselves as law enforcement, they are advised to never give out personal or financial information and call law enforcement immediately to report such calls.