‘WTH!’ Scam alert from police has people wanting to know more
A scam reported by the Modesto Police Department on Wednesday morning had a lot of Facebook commenters scratching their heads.
The department’s post said the suspects, black men and women, loiter in shopping center parking lots, approach shoppers and show a bag containing a large sum of money.
They claim to have found the money and want to share it with the would-be victim. Or they claim to be due a large inheritance but need help giving a donation to the poor before they can collect the full amount.
So, people are asking, how does the scam work? “They promised to give you the money if you’re driving them or what??? More info WTH!!!” Martha Salas asked on the MPD post.
“So, they show you the bag of money and ask if you would like to split the cash? You say yes and then ...” asked Brenna McDonnell McNamara.
Well, the answer to that is known in just one of three reported cases, Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said.
And that case isn’t an MPD case, as it occurred at the Crossroads at Riverbank shopping center at Oakdale and Claribel roads. In the incident, a person (male or female, Bear didn’t know) approached an elderly woman and said something to the effect of “I have this money. I’m receiving an inheritance but I have to donate this to some type of charity. But I don’t have a vehicle, so can you drive me to the charity?”
The woman agreed to drive the scammer, who on the way to the unidentified charity convinced her that she should donate, too, Bear said. They stopped at a bank, where the woman withdrew an undisclosed amount of cash and gave it to the scammer.
In an odd offer to demonstrate trustworthiness, the person then told the woman, “You can trust me. Drive around the block and I’ll be here, you’ll see,” Bear said. Of course, the person was gone, along with the victim’s money.
The other two cases were in Modesto, one in the Winco shopping center and the other in one of the centers on McHenry, Bear said.
In the Winco incident, a couple of people claiming to be from Africa and speaking with accents approached their target and said they found the bag of money and were interested in splitting it. As they tried to engage the would-be victim, another person (likely a collaborator in the scam) approached and appeared to overhear the offer and be interested, Bear said.
The person who reported the scam told police the money looked fake. “We don’t know what was going to happen after that, because the victim walked away at that point,” Bear said.
“We just want people to be aware that this is going on,” Bear added. “When people approach you offering to share a bag of money, that’s not normal.”
Anyone targeted by the scammers is urged to call the MPD at 209-572-9500 or Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips also can be submitted via www.stancrimetips.org.
This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 8:49 AM.