Police in Okanogan County have recovered over $23,000 for a citizen who they say was victimized by a scammer.

The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office says the victim said they received a phone call from someone claiming to be a sheriff's sergeant on Jan. 22.

The victim claimed the caller instructed them to pay a large sum of money to resolve a legal issue, and that they received additional calls for the same request from people claiming to be with Okanogan County Emergency Dispatch.

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Assuming the caller's and their demands were genuine, the victim reportedly deposited the money into a Bitstop machine located inside a supermarket in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue South in Okanogan. Bitstop is an ATM machine designed for users to trade and exchange crypto-currency for traditional legal tender. The sheriff's office says the victim was told the machine was owned by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Upon learning that the victim had deposited money into the machine, investigators obtained a search warrant and were able to recover the $23,300 that the victim had deposited.

Sheriff's officials say that despite their recovery of the victim's money, it will not be immediately returned to them due to it now being evidence that's part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

The sheriff's office is again reminding the public to be vigilant of scammers who pose as members of law enforcement or other government or municipal officials.

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Gallery Credit: JD Knight

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