UPDATE (April 27, 2022):
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Fort Wayne police say that a second person has been bilked out of thousands by a local scammer.
Police say this latest incident happened on April 25 using the same phone number and tactics as an incident that the FWPD reported earlier this month.
Fort Wayne police again put out the picture of the alleged scammer along with a request that anyone with information come forward.
The FWPD released the following:
Another elderly person was scammed out of 10,000 dollars by the same scammer. This occurred April 25, 2022 around 1pm in Southwest Fort Wayne. The scammer utilized the same phone number in both scams: 646.741.8382. The scam was similar in nature as the previous scam listed below. The suspect was wearing different clothes and the victim did not have a photo. Detectives tried calling the phone number, but received a recorded message that said “leave a message”. There was no owner or number identification associated with the recording. The victim in this case was told by the scammer to lie to the bank personnel if asked about the reason for the withdrawal of $10K in cash and say it was for home improvement.
Previous Release:
The male black in the photo is a suspect in a scam of an elderly person. The suspect, posing as an employee for an attorney that was representing the victim’s niece in a case, took $10k in cash from the victim. The case itself was fraudulent, and the victim’s niece was impersonated over the phone. When the victim spoke with his actual niece, he realized he had been scammed. The suspect is described as a male black, short hair, wearing glasses and a black covid mask, white puffy coat with “Armoni” written all over it, with a medium/muscular build. Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call the Fort Wayne Police Department at 260-427-1201, Crime Stoppers at 260-436-7867, or use the anonymous “P3” tips app.
The public should always be aware of demands to pay in cash.
Please verify the credentials of anyone requesting payment for a service.
Never render payment at your home, if unsure, get more information before paying or if possible, pay at the business who is providing service.
ORIGINAL STORY:
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Fort Wayne police are asking for the public’s help to identify a man who reportedly scammed an elderly person out of $10,000.
Police say that the man came to the victim’s door and said he was an employee for a lawyer that was representing the victim’s niece in a case, and said he needed cash for payment.
Police say the victim’s niece was even impersonated over the phone as part of the scheme.
The FWPD released the following:
The male black in the photo is a suspect in a scam of an elderly person. The suspect, posing as an employee for an attorney that was representing the victim’s niece in a case, took $10k in cash from the victim. The case itself was fraudulent, and the victim’s niece was impersonated over the phone. When the victim spoke with his actual niece, he realized he had been scammed. The suspect is described as a male black, short hair, wearing glasses and a black covid mask, white puffy coat with “Armoni” written all over it, with a medium/muscular build. Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call the Fort Wayne Police Department at 260-427-1201, Crime Stoppers at 260-436-7867, or use the anonymous “P3” tips app.
