Sioux Falls man scammed out of Bitcoin worth $9,000

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A Sioux Falls man was scammed out of more than $10,000 over the weekend.

Sioux Falls Police say a 47-year-old man approached a police officer out on assignment Saturday and asked how he could get in contact with the local DEA office. The police officer told the man where to best find the information and asked why he needed to contact them.

Police say the man told the officer that he was in contact with a DEA agent who said his money was somehow connected to a money-laundering investigation. The man was instructed to buy $9,000 worth of Bitcoin and $1,700 worth of gift cards and to give access to the agent.

Sioux Falls Police Public Information Officer Sam Clemens says no law enforcement organization accepts bitcoin or gift cards, noting that this should be a major red flag for anyone who receives a similar call.