2 arrested after scam, Giles County deputies say

(WSET) — The Giles County Sheriff's Office said they made a scam arrest.

Deputies said at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, the Giles County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint regarding a phone call from a subject claiming to be with Woodforest Bank. The caller relayed to the potential victim over the phone that they needed their assistance to help investigate a bank employee at the branch where they banked.

The caller asked that the potential victim take $10,000 from their bank account. The caller told the potential victim that after retrieving the money, they should put it in an envelope and place it in the mailbox at their home. The caller said that someone from the FBI would be out to retrieve the money.

At around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the potential victim called the Giles County Sheriff’s Office stating that there were subjects at the mailbox outside their home, which was located in a residential area south of Pearisburg. At around the same time, the subjects called the potential victim stating that they could not find the money and requested that they meet at the mailbox with it, going as far as to threaten that FBI agents would come into the home if no one came outside. A car sat in the roadway with high beam headlights on, waiting for the potential victim to walk to the mailbox, according to deputies.

Due to the calm demeanor and cooperation of the potential victim, Giles County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Pearisburg Police officers were able to respond and apprehend the pair who were located in a car near the residence. Deputies arrested 20-year-old Rakeem Hughey-Collier of Miami, FL, and charged him with one felony count of attempt to obtain money by false pretenses and one felony count of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses. Deputies also arrested 24-year-old Pursell Shelton Bauer of Jacksonville, FL, and charged him with one felony count of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses. Both men are being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail without bond.

This investigation remains ongoing. The Giles County Sheriff’s Office would like to encourage any victims who have had similar incidents to reach out to their local law enforcement jurisdiction, deputies said.

The Giles County Sheriff’s Office said they encourage the public to be aware of these types of incidents. The FBI will not contact citizens to perform undercover investigations, nor would any reputable organization ever request that a citizen remove large sums of money from their bank account, whether through electronic or personal transactions. Anyone who finds themselves subjected to these types of calls should report them to their local authorities.

2 arrested after scam, Giles County deputies say

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