09/10/2026
🚨 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓 🚨
Two recent investigations highlight how convincing scammers can be and how quickly significant financial losses can occur. In these cases, scammers impersonated financial institutions and investment companies to convince victims to send large sums of money.
In one case, an individual was contacted by someone falsely claiming to represent their bank conducting an investigation. The victim was instructed to withdraw thousands of dollars in cash and ship it through a commercial carrier and destroy receipts and tracking information. Fortunately, the individual reported the situation to YCSO, and, thanks to the swift actions of Dep. Geist and the cooperation of the local shipping company, the package was recovered before it left the facility and no funds were lost.
In another case, a victim and a family member were reportedly defrauded out of nearly $500,000 through cashier’s checks, wire transfers, and cash payments. The money was sent to entities associated with what appeared to be a fictitious investment or brokerage operation over the course of six months.
𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿, 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺.
Protect yourself:
❌ Never ship cash or cashier’s checks at the direction of a caller.
❌ Do not provide financial information to unsolicited callers.
✅ Be suspicious of requests for immediate payment or secrecy.
A legitimate financial institution or government agency will not instruct you to withdraw cash and ship it to an unknown person.
If someone asks you to move your money urgently, stop and independently contact the organization using a verified phone number or official website. When in doubt, talk to a trusted family member, your bank, or law enforcement before sending money.
𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.
