The Waterford Police Department is targeting cryptocurrency-ATM scams with a new program to alert potential victims.

Police Chief Scott Underwood calls it “a community based approach” — posting alert warnings next to 19 crypto-ATMs within the township. Prior to the program being launched this week, the business owners were contacted by Waterford police detectives about having the alerts posted, Underwood stated in a news release.

The warnings are intended to stop “digital predators” from taking advantage of people who are falsely told their bank accounts have been compromised. The victims are typically advised by the scammers that they can remedy the bank account problem by gathering as much cash as possible, feed it into crypto-ATMs — located in gas stations and stores — and then download an app which lets the thieves control the victims’ phones and access to the recently-purchased crypto-currenc, Underwood explained.

Bitcoin is a highly-recognizable cryptocurrency.

The scammers use unsolicited emails, text messages and phone calls — often from “far-away places” — to make contact with intended victims and set their plans in motion; in some cases, victims have lost their life savings, Underwood added.

Due to where the contact originates from, identification and prosecution of the scammers is “remote,” Underwood stated. The newly-posted alerts near the crypto-ATMs will “ help attack the problem in a proactive way as opposed to waiting until people become victims with little chance of recovering their money and prosecuting those responsible,” Underwood stated.