We recently received a report from the Dieterich Bank of a new scam that has been circulating.
It was reported that a man had received a phone call that had stated that he would receive $800,000. He then received more phone calls, as well as a package with $8,000 cash at his home. After receiving the package he then received another phone call, this time telling him to forward the $8,000 to an address in Washington D.C. The man found a name and phone number of a woman that had sent the cash inside the package. Suspicious, the man then contacted the woman to ask why she had sent the money. The woman allegedly said that she was told that her grandson had gotten into trouble and the cash was for him. The man then took the cash to his bank and explained the situation to them. The bank then informed the man that he should report the matter to the police. The Sheriff’s Office took the package and contacted the woman that sent the money.
The man had been used as a money mule. The scammers thought that once the woman had realized she had been scammed, she would report the name and address of the man to the police as the perpetrator of the scam. Then while police questioned the man, the scammers could take the money. Money mules have been arrested as accomplices in scams such as this one.
Individuals that receive suspicious phone calls or money are encouraged to call their police department.