The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an elaborate scam that apparently targets Trump supporters and reportedly took advantage of a local resident who may have lost more than $100,000 as a result.
According to reports, the victim contacted Lt. Dylan Hinds of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office on April 27 to report an ongoing fraud that began in 2020.
The victim became involved with something referred to as Trump Rebate Banking (TRB) and had made several large purchases of Trump memorabilia, including “Trump bucks” and miniature gold bars, which the victim believed would soon become much more valuable.
According to a story posted on forbes.com, “one Alabama woman was browsing various Trump supporter groups on Telegram when she noticed members referring to a scheme where people could get paid for simply owning memorabilia. Interested in making some money from her coins and other Trump-themed items, she contacted a Telegram account promoting the scheme and was told that if she could provide pictures of the products, she was in line for a $13 million rebate. All she had to do was pay the transaction fees, totaling just over $152,000, to be sent in cryptocurrency.”
She did and regretted it.
The local victim was sold the same bill of goods by the unscrupulous scammers who used synthesized video to imply Trump himself was behind the investment opportunity.
In 2024, the victim was told the Trump items were valued at more than $24 million. Based on this belief, the victim opened a “Quantum Financial System” account to sell the items. The victim was then contacted by someone who said that, to determine the value of the items, the victim would need to pay the expenses for eight individuals who would come to the victim’s home to see them. The victim paid them $2,400 by visiting the Bitcoin machine located in the Madison Chevron station and then transferred another $25,000 to the scammers.
The victim said losses to the scam totaled between $100,000 and $200,000 over six years.
Sheriff Tyler Hooks is warning people in Morgan County to be on the lookout for these kinds of scams.
“We’re seeing more cases where people are being pressured to send money or share personal information for promises that don’t hold up,” Hooks said. “These are not legitimate offers; they’re meant to take advantage of you. Scammers are getting better at making things look real, especially on social media and through videos. If someone asks you to send money, act fast, or share personal details, take a step back and think twice. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. If you believe you’ve been targeted, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.”
Hinds has conducted a painstaking investigation into the labyrinth created by these unscrupulous operators, and a Morgan County court order will be submitted to trace the Bitcoin transactions.
However, “Bitcoin cannot be subpoenaed directly as it is not a single entity or a company owned in the traditional sense.
Bitcoin is a decentralized currency distributed among individuals, companies, governments, and anonymous wallets,” according to the report.