Maryland State Police Recover $12,000 For Elderly Victim Of Phone Scam In Carroll County

(WESTMINSTER, MD) – Maryland State Police helped recover $12,000 for an apparent victim of a telephone scam in Carroll County.

At about 8 a.m. this morning, the elderly female victim arrived at the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack to report that she believed she had been the victim of a scam. According to a preliminary investigation, the victim had been convinced to ship $12,000 in cash via FedEx to an address in Belmont, California.  The scam originated from a telephone call the female received.

Using the information the victim brought to the barrack, a trooper tracked the package and contacted the FedEx Law Enforcement Liaison in California.  The package containing the $12,000 was located and pulled from delivery. The money is being returned to the original victim.

Here are some tips to protect yourself from scams in general:

• Do not give out your personal information to someone you do not know.
• Store personal information in a safe place.
• Do not carry your social security card in your wallet.
• Collect mail every day and put a hold on it during extended travel.
• Use security features on your smartphone and computer.
• Use complex passwords.
• Do not use gift cards to pay the IRS or Social Security, tech support, a family member in trouble, ransom or to avoid arrest or deportation or to prevent your utilities from being turned off.
• Trust your instincts. If you think it might be a scam, it probably is one.

The case remains under investigation…

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CONTACT: Office of Media Communications, msp.media@maryland.gov