Gage County Sheriff’s Office
612 Lincoln St Ste 1 Beatrice, NE 68310-2988
Phone 402.223.5221 · Fax 402.223.5223
www.gagecountysheriff.us
News Release
DATE & TIME: 06-18-2025 / Morning and Afternoon
LOCATION: Pickrell & Wymore
OFFENSE: PayPal Bitcoin Text Scam
CASE #: 2025-2814 / 2025-2816
DETAILS:
Residents in the Pickrell and Wymore areas reported to the Gage County Sheriff’s Office that they had received a text message, purportedly from PayPal, that a $499.00 charge had been made to their account to purchase bitcoin and instructed them to call back to an 801 area code number contained within the text message if they wanted to dispute the charge.
Fortunately, neither victim called the suspect back and neither has lost any money.
The Gage County Sheriff’s Office wants residents to be advised of this type of “phishing” scam, where they will send out a communication (text message) which is designed to startle an unsuspecting victim into acting rashly and contacting the suspects. Most likely the suspect would come up with some type of con to gain access to the victim’s bank account, or have the victim send money in order to “clear up” the situation.
Do not respond to these types of communication, do not provide any personal, confidential, or financial information to unknown persons, whether it is by phone, email, text message, in person, or by any other means.
If you are receiving this type of scam message or any other type of scam, remain calm and contact your bank or financial institution, a trusted friend or family member, or call law enforcement to speak with a deputy or a police officer.
Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson #903
Sergeant T. Hanson #90310