Warning from Edmond PD about callers trying to steal your money
EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) - The Edmond Police Department has issued a warning about fake phone calls with someone on the other end trying to take your money.
It happened recently to Ken Cappers. He said he was driving when his phone rang. The Caller ID said it was Amazon.
"They asked the question whether or not I had just purchased a $1,300 iPhone in San Antonio, Texas,” said Cappers. “I said, ‘no, absolutely not.’"
Cappers said he was on the phone call for an hour and a half. The person on the other line claimed to be with the Attorney General’s Office. They were investigating Cappers for money laundering.
"They had some very legitimate questions like, had I ever been in San Antonio, had I ever been to Texas, had I lost my wallet or my phone in Texas anywhere," said Cappers.
The call took a suspicious turn when the person on the other line told Cappers to go to his bank and pull all his money from his account, then take it to a Bitcoin machine.
"That's about when I told the guy, ‘you know, if I was running a scam to get somebody's money, I might to it just exactly like you're doing it right now,’" said Cappers.
The caller’s last attempt to convince Cappers became their biggest mistake. They added another person to the line who claimed to be with the Edmond Police Department. Cappers has been a volunteer at the department for 15 years.
"I said, ‘okay, I'm done with you,’" said Cappers.
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Edmond Deputy Police Chief Tim Dorsey said these types of calls were costing Oklahomans thousands of dollars each year.
"They're very sophisticated scams," said Dorsey. "It goes on in various forms. Phone, for sure, is the most popular. But now on your computer or even text messages."
Dorsey said Cappers was smart enough to finally figure out he was being scammed but other people are not as lucky.
"Somebody being pushy, won't let you get off the phone, insisting on you going to your bank or getting money in some form, whether it be case or gift cards, those are all red flags," said Dorsey.
Edmond Police said if someone gave money to phone or cyber scams it would be nearly impossible to get back because the calls were so hard to trace.