Putnam County, Missouri sheriff warns of fake warrant calls citing a 'Surety Bond Authority' and Bitcoin kiosk payments

What happened

KTTN reported on 20 October 2026 that the Putnam County Sheriff's Office in Missouri is warning residents about scam calls in which callers impersonate law enforcement, court officials and a purported 'Surety Bond Authority'. The callers claim the person faces arrest over alleged failure to report for jury duty, unpaid traffic citations, bridge tolls or other supposed government debts, and in some cases instruct people to pay via a Bitcoin kiosk. The callers may threaten immediate arrest and several days in custody unless an alleged warrant or bond obligation is paid. The sheriff's office warns that caller ID can be spoofed so calls appear to come from local numbers or government agencies; the real sheriff's office and court are not involved. It says neither its personnel nor the Putnam County Circuit Court will demand immediate telephone payment by Bitcoin, other cryptocurrency, gift cards or wire transfers, and urges residents to hang up and verify any claim through an established official number.

How the scam works

The sheriff's office says the callers may threaten immediate arrest and several days in custody waiting for pretrial proceedings unless the person pays an alleged warrant or bond. In some cases, people are told to go to a local business with a Bitcoin kiosk and transfer cryptocurrency to settle the made-up debt. Caller ID can't prove a call is genuine, because criminals can spoof the number shown so it looks like a local or government number.

Residents who get a suspicious call are told to hang up rather than respond to threats, follow automated prompts, ask for a transfer or call back numbers the caller supplies. Any claimed warrant, jury duty violation, traffic citation, court obligation or bond requirement should be checked by calling the relevant agency on an established official number. Never give a Social Security number, date of birth, banking information, passwords or security codes to an unsolicited caller, and never send money through crypto kiosks, payment apps, gift cards or wire services at a caller's direction.

Keep evidence: voicemails, screenshots, phone numbers, receipts, cryptocurrency transaction IDs, kiosk details and notes of the call. The sheriff's office can be reached at 660-947-3200 or 660-947-2515, and reports can also go to the FTC, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Missouri Attorney General's Office. Anyone who has already paid should immediately contact their bank, card issuer, payment service or crypto provider. Call 911 in an emergency.

Source

KTTN, "Putnam County Sheriff warns of fake warrant and Bitcoin call scam" (published 20 October 2026).