FROM ISLAND PACKET NEWS:
https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article316999944.html#storylink=cpy
Scammers tricked a Beaufort woman into sending them almost $25,000, claiming to be law enforcement officers who could have her arrested if she did not comply with their requests. In the end, the woman, still on the line with the electronic fraudsters, passed a written note to a teller alerting her bank to the fraud as it was happening.
Claiming to be a law enforcement officer is a common tactic
of fraudsters, who tell victims they missed jury duty and could be arrested if
they don’t pay a fine. Some may have access to residents’ personal information,
using the details to seem more convincing.
In the recent case, the Bluffton woman contacted the
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday in regard to a fraud, according to a
report. She told a deputy that she received a call about missing a jury
appearance from an individual who claimed to be with the Mecklenburg County
Sheriff’s Office. She spoke with three people during the conversation. They had
personal information and sent documents.
This led the woman to believe they were legitimate law
enforcement officers, the report says. She was told she needed to send $25,000,
or she would be arrested and jailed. Scam victim sends scammers $24,700 The
victim of the theft drove to the Truist Bank in Bluffton and withdrew $24,700.
She then drove 30 miles to Shell gas station on Trask
Parkway outside of Beaufort, where she deposited the money into a Bitcoin ATM
and transferred it to a cryptocurrency wallet provided by the individuals. But
the people on the phone told her to send more money. So returned to her
Bluffton bank. She continued to speak with the three individuals by phone
inside the bank. But she decided to write a note explaining the situation that
she passed to the teller, who took it to the bank manager. He told her she had
been the victim of a scam.
The call was ended. Emails, text messages and documents were
passed to the sheriff’s office to be preserved as evidence. Look out for these
kinds of scams The scam is just one of many that that law enforcement officials
say are common. One phone scam in Beaufort County had fraudsters impersonating
local firefighters. Fake short-term rental listings is another common fraud.
Beaufort County residents should stay wary of unfamiliar callers, officials
warn.
Reports of phone scams are on the rise — several of which
involve fraudsters impersonating local agencies and asking for money. County
agencies will never call residents asking for money, officials say. Anyone who
receives a similar call is encouraged to obtain as much information as possible
and report the scam to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line
at 843-524-2777.