In St. Charles Parish and across Louisiana, sheriffs pride themselves on knowing our communities. We know our neighbors and our streets. And increasingly, we know the devastation that follows when residents lose their life savings to a scam that began with a phone call, a text or an online message.

What has changed is not criminal intent. Scammers have existed for centuries. What has changed is the speed, scale and sophistication of their tools. Cryptocurrency has become a favored weapon, allowing criminals to move money instantly, anonymously and across borders with little oversight. Our department has warned residents about an overwhelming surge in scams — from romance fraud and impersonation schemes to complex cryptocurrency cons…