Scammer caught - feel good story

[masraum]

Saw this on Faceplant today posted by a county sheriff's office.

Although it will make you want to put the perp through the grinder.

Occasionally, the Sheriff’s Office investigates a case that is especially gratifying. I’m sure all of us have received threatening phone calls; the threat may be for arrest from someone saying they are the IRS, a plea by someone saying a loved one has been arrested, be threatened with deportation, or any other of the various scams. All have a common pattern: the caller is demanding that you send cash to some address, or that you place money on a prepaid card, or have cash that someone will come by and pick up. The extortionists use any kind of scheme to get their money. These cases are difficult for law enforcement to trace. It is frustrating that we can’t get our hands on the caller.

A lot of the victims are elderly with diminished capacity or those not familiar with our system of government. Some of the victims come from foreign countries where they become accustomed to having corrupt officials, so the scam is not too unreasonable for them. For whatever reason, the victims comply and the extortionists leave very few viable leads. The clues often lead to some foreign county and then disappear, or the phone number proves to be a non-legitimate number. The local participants use phony identification to collect their plunder and rapidly move out of the area to a more urban area to blend with the masses.

On Thursday, we got a rare chance to intercept an ongoing scam where the extortionist was threatening to have the person deported if they didn’t pay up. The victim was from another country attending college in Arizona. After being threatened with deportation, the victim complied with the extortionist’s demands and sent $32,000.00 in cash, by FedEx to a FedEx pick up location in Bastrop County off of SH 304. After reflecting on her actions, the victim called her local police department and learned she had been scammed. Knowing she had been scammed, the victim checked with FedEx and learned that the package was due for delivery in about 15 minutes.

The victim called the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office to discuss her concerns about being scammed. A Sheriff’s unit was near the store where the package was to be dropped off for pickup. The package was recovered with the $32,000.00 in cash and we learned that another package was awaiting pickup by the same person. Surveillance was established on the store and a short time later a female was arrested when she showed up to claim the packages using a fictitious, out of state driver’s license.
The second package contained $18,000.00 in cash and was mailed from California. When the 88 year old sender was contacted, she described how she was contacted by a Department of Justice lawyer and threatened with cancelling her Social Security number if she failed to comply with sending the money. She was also threatened with being arrested for money laundering and other various crimes.

The arrestee, Myisha Carter, 31 years of age, with a Houston address, was booked into the Bastrop County jail and charged with 2 counts of Robbery since there was a threat conveyed during the course of committing theft. Bond was set at $1,500,000.00 dollars. The suspect was on pre-trial diversion on a federal charge out of Houston for a similar theft scheme.

A number of search warrants were executed; one on the suspect’s vehicle yielded just under $100,000.00 in cash stashed under the front seat of the vehicle. All of the information developed on this case has been turned over to the FBI where Federal charges are expected to be brought, at which time she will be released into federal custody.

While I was preparing this release, I received a call showing to be from Arizona. The caller said I qualified on my Visa account for a lower interest rate. When I asked them to tell me my name, the person speaking in broken English, had no idea who I was. I then terminated the call, knowing it was just another scam wanting my personal information with Visa. It’s difficult to know when you are dealing with legitimate callers or proper government officials, but remember, when the caller or message seeks money, passwords, or private information, it’s probably a scam. If someone asks you to send cash or buy prepaid cards (GreenDot, Apple, Google, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.), it IS a scam. If in doubt, verify the request or call your local law enforcement agency to seek guidance and to report the incident.

Maurice C. Cook, Sheriff

[Sooner or later]

Lol. Caught one.

I had a SS scam call yesterday.

[GH85Carrera]

I hope that scammer has a long stay at the graybar hotel.

[Joe Bob]

Myisha. Ok. Any guesses on her background?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Myisha. Ok. Any guesses on her background?

Floriduh?

[wdfifteen]

This is great news!

I got a call like the above, "The caller said I qualified on my Visa account for a lower interest rate."

I said, "GREAT! Thanks!" and hung up.

[cabmandone]

"victim checked with FedEx and learned that the package was due for delivery in about 15 minutes"

I'm calling fake news! I've called FedEx trying to find out when a package was going to arrive and never had them tell me within minutes.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I hope that scammer has a long stay at the graybar hotel.

I like the fact that they are also expecting federal charges. Yes, I suspect it's not going to end well for this person.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Baz

Floriduh?

Originally Posted by cabmando

"victim checked with FedEx and learned that the package was due for delivery in about 15 minutes"

I'm calling fake news! I've called FedEx trying to find out when a package was going to arrive and never had them tell me within minutes.

Thanks for the chuckle, gents!

[ckelly78z]

It would have been better if they had staged some fake packages, and opened the envelope to have that blue dye spray all over their face....and then get arrested for the crimes.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

It would have been better if they had staged some fake packages, and opened the envelope to have that blue dye spray all over their face....and then get arrested for the crimes.

Absolutely, something like the package thief trick package. Permanent dye and maybe some sort of stink spray too.

Or maybe a brightly colored glue, followed by glitter, then stink spray.

Although, assuming they get hit with federal charges, that's not bad either.

I knew a guy that used to own/run a topless bar in Austin. He had been in court a bunch of times for various things. Then at some point, he came up on federal charges. He and his attorney walked into the court thinking they'd BTDT and had the t-shirt. Apparently, it didn't take the judge long to clue them in that they were in a very different situation than they'd ever been in before. It seemed to put the fear of God into him. When I knew him, he was working with me in IT because he wasn't allowed to be anywhere near bars for a period of time.

[Chocaholic]

$100k in cash under her seat? $50k arrives by FedEx in one day? Maybe crime does pay!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Just like spammers - if you get one sucker out of $100,000 it’s still hugely profitable. So it persists.

[Mike Andrew]

These people are close to the bottom of the dung heap. Possibly, only rapists and pedophiles are lower.
Fed scheiss is serious as their conviction rate is very high and sentences require something like 85% served before possibility of release. Myisha could have a long vacation ahead of her.
Got the Visa call last week. Did not last long as I was beyond rude and the woman hung up on me.

[Alan A]

Had an Amazon one yesterday. These scammers ought to put more effort in.
Lee Ping on caller id (spoofed a local #). Amazon fraud. Indian call center.
Pathetic. He hung up when I told him so. Some people just don’t want constructive criticism

[LWJ]

I have had at least two of these dip shots on the phone for 45 minutes or so.

It helps if you have a beverage in hand. My best performance had two of my teens in the room busting a gut because it was so much fun.

Sort of a win win. I entertain myself. And granny doesn’t get ripped off.

Good times.

[speeder]

It’s a terrible type of crime but what’s really sad is that we have a country where the average person will believe absolutely anything they are told. It baffles me...such obvious BS. Our education system doesn’t teach people how to think, I guess.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Myisha. Ok. Any guesses on her background?

Yes, criminal.

If you are making the keen observation that her first name sounds like she is an American black person, I can tell you that doesn't exactly fit the common profile of telephone scammers. I've dealt w quite a few and the most common accent is south Asian, as in Indian or Pakistani? I helped out a friend who thought she was buying a Jag XKE from a storage lock-up in Stockholm, Sweden from an Indian guy who could not photograph the car for some convoluted reason. He only got her for a $5k deposit, small potatoes compared to if she completed the "transaction."

[Superman]

Originally Posted by speeder

......what’s really sad is that we have a country where the average person will believe absolutely anything they are told. It baffles me...such obvious BS. Our education system doesn’t teach people how to think, I guess.

Denis, I think you and I are keenly aware of the proliferation of inaccurate information and stunned by the, ahem, lack of discernment.

There are people in our prisons whose sentences could perhaps be reviewed and amended to make room for these scammers who should be offered free long term housing at the Graybar Hotel.