The Washington County Sheriff's Office is warning area residents to protect themselves from scams after $86,000 was stolen from a Hagerstown-area woman.
The 75-year-old woman was persuaded by unknown men to give them cash on multiple occasions to "secure" her money after her tablet computer had been "hacked," according to court documents.
When one of the scammers directed the woman to withdraw more money, this time $62,500 in cash for which she went to F&M Trust, it led to a bank security officer telling her to contact the sheriff's office because he believed she was being scammed, according to court documents filed in Washington County District Court.
The ensuing investigation involved an F&M bank manager pretending to hand over the money to the woman, while one of the scammers was on an open phone line listening in on the transaction.
Later that day, investigators arrested two New York men who arrived near the woman's home in a Porsche, according to court records.
Investigators took the men into custody.
“Protecting our customer accounts is our priority," F&M Trust Security Officer Ray Wills said in an emailed statement Friday. "We take an active role in educating our customers and community partners on how to identify and prevent fraud. For those who find themselves to be the victim of a scam, we work hard to minimize the damage and to recover losses.”
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Sheriff's office provides tips to avoid scams
The sheriff's office, in a release issued late Thursday, provided some tips to protect against this type of scam.
They included recommending residents contact a family member or friend whenever a third party requests a large financial transaction.
"Scammers rely on lies, pressure, and manipulation to trick you into giving away your hard-earned money," the release states. "A trusted person who hasn't been exposed to the scammers' tactics may provide the clear-minded perspective you need to avoid becoming a victim."
Other tips from the sheriff's office:
- Never call a phone number or use a link provided in an unsolicited text, notification or email. If you get unsolicited correspondence requesting contact, go online and find the business or organization's phone number through its public website. Only contact them through those publicly accessible, verified methods.
- Trust your gut. "If something feels wrong, it is wrong."
- Credible businesses and organizations will not contact people outside of their publicized hours, require cash transactions or ask for or require people to buy gift cards. They also won't require people "to engage in unusual security procedures" like staying on the phone with a representative for hours so they can listen in on your banking transactions or have you take photos to provide your identity or location.
Apple posts information on its official website about how to recognize and avoid phishing and scams.
The FBI also has information about common scams and how to report fraud at its website.
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What happened to convince this woman she needed to hand over money?
In this case, the woman had a "pop-up" appear on her iPad screen on March 30 that appeared to be from Apple and stated the tablet had been hacked. The message stated to contact Apple Support and provided a phone number, according to court documets.
When she spoke to a person at that number, she was told her iPad had been hacked and to call another number to speak with a specialist. That "specialist" told her her bank account was hacked and none of her accounts were safe.
She was convinced to remove money from her bank accounts and send that money through gift cards to this unknown person so "they could keep her money safe," court documents state.
The victim told investigators the man on the phone was so convincing she didn't think she could trust the bank. The man told her there was a "rogue employee" at her bank who was trying to steal her money. He also told her she was now part of a covert FBI operation to help her secure her money.
The initial call occurred on a Saturday after banks had closed.
With the man on her open phone line while she spoke with employees at different stores, the woman bought $5,000 worth of gift cards and sent the codes for the cards to the person on the phone.
That Monday, April 1, the man called her back saying the issue was not resolved and they needed to secure more of her money.
That day and the next, she was convinced to withdraw $86,000 from multiple banks and secure it at home until "the FBI could come to collect it to keep it safe," court documents state.
Again, the man told her to keep him on the phone, while she went to the bank, "to ensure everything went well," court documents state.
The unknown man on the phone would tell the victim stories to tell store and bank employees about why she needed so much money.
She was told to tell bank employees she needed so much cash because she could get a discount on a vehicle she was buying if she paid in cash.
The man on the phone told her what to do until a member of the "FBI" arrived at her home to keep her money safe. She was also told to photograph herself, her home and the money and to text the photos to a certain number.
She was told what code words would be used to meet the person from the "FBI" outside her home on two occasions with the money. Two different men showed up on those days to get the money.
When he called back and told her they needed to secure $62,500 more, she went to an F&M Trust on April 3. There, she was told that amount of money was not kept at the bank and she would need to return at a later date.
The victim was contacted by a bank security officer, who told her he believed she was being scammed and to contact the sheriff's office.
The woman went to the sheriff's office on April 5 to report fraud.
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F&M and sheriff's investigators work together to capture scammers
Sheriff's investigators worked with the woman and F&M Trust to make one of the unknown men believe she was picking up the $62,500 at the downtown Hagerstown bank on April 10 to give to them.
A bank manager, aware of the scam, pretended she was providing the woman with the cash while someone from the scammer's phone number was on an open phone line listening in, according to court documents.
Law enforcement officials watched at the bank, were with the victim in her car as she left, and waited in her home and neighborhood for the scammers to arrive.
Hours later, police saw a white Porsche drive past her home and around the block before parking nearby. Police arrested both men, who matched the descriptions provided by the victim of the men involved with the incidents on April 1 and 2.
Jinghai Fang, 52, of Staten Island, N.Y., and Binbin Ge, 26, of Flushing, N.Y., both face multiple charges including felony theft counts and a felony theft scheme count for stealing $86,000 from the woman, according to court records and dockets.
They were both ordered to be held without bond Thursday at the Washington County Detention Center.
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