Bank teller helps avert fraud; saves Athens woman $50,000

Wayne Ford, Athens Banner-Herald
·2 min read
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A bank teller recently prevented an Athens woman from losing $50,000 after the woman had already given a con artist thousands of dollars.

The 76-year-old Athens woman had fallen prey to the scam where someone calls pretending to be a law enforcement officer with warrants for their arrest.

In this case, the caller pretended to be a deputy lieutenant who had two federal warrants she needed to clear, according to an Athens-Clarke police report.

She was told on July 21 to pay the fines by depositing money into a bitcoin account. Police said she made three deposits amounting to $16,000 at a bitcoin machine in a gas station.

Then when she returned to her bank, which was not identified in the report, to get $50,000 cash for another deposit, the teller encouraged her to go to the police department and report the calls.

The woman went to the police department and after learning it was a scam she was able to provide an officer with the bitcoin receipts, according to the report.

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The FBI had earlier released a warning to the public to be aware of suspicious calls. Among them are:

  • Calls from local law enforcement stating an individual has fines for outstanding warrants.

  • Calls from local law enforcement stating the court is holding the individual in contempt for failure to appear for jury duty.

  • Calls from local law enforcement stating an individual has been placed under a “gag order” and is not allowed to speak with anyone else regarding the matter.

  • Calls from local law enforcement demanding you remain on the line until the “bond” is paid.

  • Requests for monetary gift cards (visa/green dot etc.) bank deposits, and voucher purchases to clear court fines or avoid jail time.

  • Requests for videos or pictures of individuals conducting a personal strip search of themselves to clear court fines or avoid jail time.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Bank teller prevents Athens woman from losing $50,000