Douglas County – Douglas County Sheriff’s investigators are seriously concerned about a recent fraud trend. We have received three separate reports of suspects meeting the victim in person to receive money and other valuables.
- 2023-58686. This case happened on July 12, 2023. Victim is elderly and her loss is $125,000 in gold.
- 2023-64094. This case happened on July 22, 2023. Victim is elderly and her loss is $23,000 in cash.
- 2023-64311. This case happened on July 31, 2023. Victim is elderly and her loss is $36,000 in cash.
All three of these cases have similarities:
- Victim is elderly (70 years or older)
- Scam starts with a computer “error message” popping up on an I-Pad, or computer.
- Victim calls the number on the “error message” and connects with a person who provides the scam in question via phone. Suspect is granted access to the victim’s computer and can access the computer remotely.
- Victim is told to keep their conversations a secret and is instructed to either purchase gold or go withdraw large amounts of cash.
- Someone arrives and meets with the victim, who receives the cash/gold.
- Each time the people picking up the cash/gold are wearing face masks (medical), sunglasses, and have minimal contact with the victim (they’re concealing their identity.)
In one case, an 83-year-old female received an alert on her iPad advising her to contact support after her iPad locked up. She called the provided number and began communicating with several male subjects. The males claimed to be with a bank and started contacting the victim daily. They told her not to contact anyone else to include her family or law enforcement. They told her that her bank account had been comprised and to go to Walmart and purchase a cell phone. Once she purchased the cell phone, they began communicating with her on it. The males then told her to go to the bank and withdraw as much cash as possible because the bank couldn’t be trusted and was going to be closing. The victim withdrew $22,000 from two different banks. A male suspect arrived at the victim’s residence to pick up the cash. He gave her a code word they had agreed on, and she gave him the cash and the recently purchased cell phone.
Suspect Information: Indian male in his 30s or 40s, average/heavy build, short black hair
Vehicle Information: Silver minivan with no rims on the passenger side of the vehicle
Anyone with information should contact Detective Herring at mherring@dcsheriff.net.
Important safety tips: Never let anyone take over your computer…and never give money/valuables to anyone you don’t know.
“What makes this even more heart-wrenching is the fact that these fraudsters are preying on our vulnerable members, often parents and grandparents, and deceiving them into withdrawing their hard-earned life savings. The scammers are using elaborate schemes to gain the trust of their victims, taking advantage of their emotions and vulnerabilities,” said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. “I urge each and every one of you to remain vigilant for yourself and your older loved ones. Always take a moment to verify the identity and credentials of anyone seeking financial transactions or sensitive information. If you encounter any suspicious activity or if you or someone you know has fallen victim to a scam, please reach out to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office immediately.”
