On March 25, 2019, a Bristol Tennessee resident filed a report that she was contacted by a male telling her that she had won $1,000,000 and a new Mercedes. The suspect requested the victim send a total of $27,000 to a second victim in Blountville, Tennessee. The second victim then forwarded $25,000 to a third victim in North Chicago, Illinois. The initial victim from Bristol Tennessee called the Bristol Tennessee Department to file a report, feeling she may have been a victim of a scam. The case was quickly assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division and detectives quickly recognized this was a scam and immediately began tracking the money transfers and were able to intercept the $24,000 sent to the person in Illinois. The victim from Bristol was contacted by the unknown suspect again and asked to apply for a $68,000 loan to send to him. The victim was advised not to send and more money and detectives were able to recoup the $24,000 and return it to the victim here in Bristol. Detectives are still attempting to recover the remaining $3,000 but believe it has been sent out of the country and probably unrecoverable. If not for the quick follow-up by the detectives the full amount would have been lost. The suspect is believed to be calling from Kingston, Jamaica. This information has been turned over to the U.S. Secret Service for further investigation.
The person in Blountville and North Chicago were both victims in the scam as well. The Bristol Tennessee Police Department wants to remind residents never to send money like this without consulting with a family member or law enforcement. Scammers will pose as companies giving out prize money, as Government officials trying to collect taxes or threaten arrest if fines aren’t paid. If you are contacted by someone requesting money like this, don’t send anything and call your local law enforcement agency immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment