Victim loses Thousands of Dollars in Scam

Deputy intervenes and prevents an Additional $10,000 loss 

Cottonwood AZ (December 31, 2020) – Between December 13, 2020 and December 18, 2020, a 75-year-old Cottonwood resident received calls from a ‘Mike McCarthy’ (suspect, not real name) advising the victim his social security number had been used for illegal activity in Texas. In order to avoid a warrant for his arrest, the victim was directed to purchase $10,000 in gift cards and provide the card information to McCarthy. The victim went to various locations in the Cottonwood area and purchased $9,000 worth of gift cards using a bank card. His attempt to purchase more cards was apparently declined by the bank. After obtaining the cards, the victim contacted the suspect and shared card numbers allowing the suspect to withdraw the value totaling $9,000. 

At this time, the victim was also directed by the suspect to retrieve $10,000 in cash from his bank and ship the money via UPS to an address back east as part of an additional payment to avoid a warrant. The victim complied and sent the money. Fortunately, at the time of the report, the victim was able to provide a package tracking number to the deputy. 

When the tracking number was checked the deputy saw the package was still in transit, so he contacted the local UPS Office and requested the delivery be stopped and the package returned. In the meantime, the deputy implored the victim to stop engaging the suspect on the phone and was reminded that being asked to pay for something by gift cards is almost always a scam. 

On December 24, 2020, the deputy found out the victim’s UPS package had been returned and was ready for pick-up. The deputy arranged to meet the victim at his bank so the cash could be returned directly to his account. In front the deputy and the victim, bank employees verified the package still contained the victim’s $10,000 and it was deposited back into his account.  

Once outside the bank, the victim stopped the deputy and told him a scammer had called on December 21, 2020, claiming to work at the Cottonwood Police Department and asking for gift cards ‘to hold as evidence.’ (The deputy indicated this was likely the same scam suspect). Unfortunately, the victim complied and purchased 42- $500 cards totaling $21,000 and then shared the card numbers over the phone with the suspect. Meeting at the victim’s home, the deputy verified this additional loss. A family member of the victim was contacted and asked to intervene and consider a financial power of attorney to prevent further loss. 

Additionally, YCSO’s Fraud Intervention Team (FIT) has been notified and will assist the victim and family by providing counseling on scams and methods for increased layers of protection.  

Members of the FIT will also be working with local police agencies in the Camp Verde area to provide ‘STOP’ scam warning signs to businesses where gift cards are sold (see photo). YCSO urges employers to educate employees on what to look for when a customer is likely buying gift cards as part of a scam. These employees are the first line of defense in preventing our targeted senior population from, in many cases, wiping out their life’s savings.