EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) – If someone is asking you to pay them with cryptocurrency, be extremely cautious. 

That warning comes from the Eau Claire Police Department, who said Tuesday that they’ve recently taken several cases from people and businesses target by scammers. 

“The scammers contact employees of businesses and instruct them to remove money from business accounts and convert the money to cryptocurrency to pay for a fake business expense,” ECPD said in a social media post.

The scammers tell the victim there is some sort of security issue, and they need to pay with cryptocurrency to avoid further losses. 

“Please be extremely cautious about anyone soliciting payments via cryptocurrency,” ECPD said. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), cryptocurrency scams are a popular way for scammers to trick people into sending money. If you spot a cryptocurrency scam, report it immediately to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

Once money is given over via cryptocurrency, the FTC says, there is generally no way of getting it back. They say you can avoid getting scammed is by knowing that only scammers demand payment with cryptocurrency.

“No legitimate business or government will ever email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money. And they will never demand that you buy or pay with cryptocurrency,” the FTC said in an article on their site. “Don’t pay anyone who contacts you unexpectedly, demanding payment with cryptocurrency.”