Fake charge on Apple account leads woman to hand $50K to scammer, AZ cops say
A woman handed over $50,000 in cash to a scammer who said she had a fraudulent charge on her Apple account, Arizona deputies said.
Someone called the woman in the Prescott area on May 9 and told her she needed to pay or she would be arrested, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
The man told her to withdraw cash and lie to her bank so she wouldn’t be arrested, deputies said.
She followed his instructions and got the money, deputies said.
“The scammer further pressured her to provide her home address so the fraudulent caller could pick up the cash,” deputies said.
He drove to her house in a Toyota sedan and had her put the money in an envelope in the trunk of his car, deputies said.
There was no charge on her Apple account, but she didn’t realize it was a scam until hours later, deputies said.
By that point, authorities said they couldn’t find the driver.
Apple did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on May 14.
The sheriff’s office is warning the public about the increase in fraud it has seen this year, with millions of dollars taken.
“Much of that money is transferred via cryptocurrency, but occasionally, scammers are becoming more brazen by showing up at the victim’s home and demanding the cash,” deputies said.
Government agencies will never show up to someone’s home asking for money or use cryptocurrency for payment, deputies said.
“Do not be a victim. Hang up the phone and call the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office 928-771-3260,” deputies said.
Prescott is about a 100-mile drive north from Phoenix.
