A Rush County woman has a local business and law enforcement officers to thank for finding and returning the $44,900 in cash she could have easily lost to a scam.
In addition, she was prevented from sending off another $20,000 in cash.
“This began when UPS Store employees in Great Bend were suspicious of a package because something was loose inside,” said Det. John Reynolds of the Great Bend Police Department. “They decided to inspect the package only to discover a large amount of cash.
“They called us right away and, thanks to their diligence, the woman has all her money back.”
When Reynolds was notified of the circumstances, he reviewed the UPS Store’s video surveillance. He then took a picture from that video of the woman who wanted to ship the package to a business in Orange, Calif.
In the meantime, Det. Shane Becker started calling area banks, asking about any recent large cash withdrawals.
“As it turned out,” Reynolds said, “three area banks were involved and the woman’s photo was identified at one of the banks.”
Police also learned that the woman, who is in her 70s, was preparing to send off another $20,000. Her son was involved by this time and that cash was never shipped anywhere.
The incident began when the woman received a phone call from what appeared to be Washington, D.C., which was on the Caller ID.
“The caller said he was from the Department of Commerce. He told her they knew she had been involved in some type of scheme,” Reynolds reported. “Then she was informed that it would take $44,900 to keep her out of trouble. She later received a second call demanding $20,000.
“If they think they have been successful with the first call, they will try again. Thankfully, the bank had notified her son and the loss was prevented.”
The caller suggested that, if banks started asking questions, the woman should explain that she was buying a vehicle with the cash.
“We all know these kinds of scams occur frequently,” Reynolds commented. “I encourage everyone to keep in mind that no legitimate business or government agency is ever going to demand cash.
“The best advice I can give is to verify that a caller is legitimate and if you have any questions, contact law enforcement.”
