by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office outlines year-end scams and urges residents to stay vigilant
As 2025 comes to a close, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office is warning Northern Colorado residents to be especially cautious as scammers ramp up activity during the holiday season. The December edition of the Scambuster Newsletter highlights a sharp rise in emotionally driven frauds, investment scams, and impersonation schemes that continue to cost victims thousands—and sometimes hundreds of thousands—of dollars.
“Scammers are very savvy,” said Barbara Bennett, Chief Scambuster for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. “They use urgency, fear, and isolation to manipulate people into acting before they can verify what’s really happening.”
Holiday scams top the list
According to the newsletter, the most common seasonal scams include fake online stores and flash sales, package delivery notices, charity fraud, holiday job scams, and demands for payment using gift cards or cash apps. Residents are urged to “dust off their Spidey senses” and slow down before sending money or personal information.
High-loss crypto and investment scams
One of the most financially devastating trends involves fake crypto “investment coaching,” including schemes tied to platforms like Quantex Trading. Victims are often lured through encrypted apps such as WhatsApp, promised high returns, and then blocked from withdrawing funds unless they pay additional “taxes” or fees. In many cases, the funds are gone permanently.
Arrest, impersonation, and extortion scams
The newsletter also details a growing number of impersonation scams, including:
- Calls claiming a family member has been arrested and needs money for bond or monitoring
- Fake bank employees asking for help “catching a fraudster.”
- Imposters posing as Amazon, Microsoft, the Federal Trade Commission, or even the FBI
- Sextortion schemes originating on TikTok, Instagram, and dating platforms
- Romance and companionship scams targeting seniors, widowed adults, and younger users alike
In every case, the warning is the same: legitimate law enforcement agencies and businesses do not demand payment by phone, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash apps—and they do not ask for secrecy.
Red flags residents should never ignore
Common warning signs include being told not to tell anyone, pressure to move conversations to encrypted apps, demands for untraceable payments, links or phone numbers provided by unsolicited messages, or requests for remote access to a computer or bank account.
Victims or concerned family members are encouraged to report suspected fraud to local law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation via IC3.gov, and the FTC at ftc.gov. Credit freezes with the major bureaus and immediate bank notifications are also recommended.
More information and ongoing scam alerts are available through the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office fraud prevention resources.
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Attribution: Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Scambuster Newsletter, December 2025
