FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Fort Lauderdale woman was conned out of $5,000 after she received a threatening voicemail informing her of an active arrest warrant against her.
The victim, who spoke to 7News on the condition that she remain anonymous, received the voicemail back on July 18. She saved the voicemail on her iPhone.
“Yes, this is Captain William Schultz with Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Please contact me back immediately.”
Upon returning the call, the person on the other end identified themselves as Captain William Schultz from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, adding credibility to the ruse, and confirmed the warrant.
“He told me that I was subpoenaed on Monday, May 22, to appear in court as a main witness for a trial involving juveniles. I informed him that that was not me. I had never signed a subpoena,” said the woman. “Then he informed me that the warrants for my arrest totaled $10,000, post bond $5,000, Florida statute 84301 failure to show.”
The imposter informed the victim of a warrant for her arrest due to her alleged failure to appear in court. In a bid to resolve the situation, the fraudulent officer suggested she transfer $5,000 via Zelle to post bond for the supposed warrant.
Believing the scam, the victim transferred the funds. “Stupidly, I sent three payments totaling $5,000,” said the woman. “Then I was suspicious.”
Taking the deception further, the imposter requested an additional $5,000. The victim was instructed to go to a local Walmart and load the money onto a gift card. The scammer provided detailed instructions via text message, attempting to manipulate her.
“He insisted that we stay connected, via the phone, the entire time,” said the victim. “Once I got in the car, I said to him, ‘This is really suspicious. How do I know you are real?’ Then he got angry.”
Fortunately, the second transaction failed.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, she opted to visit the Fort Lauderdale Police Department seeking answers.
“She stated that she just received a call from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department [and] that they actually said Captain Bill Schultz and they were demanding money or she was going to be arrested within two hours,” said Major Bill Schultz.
Despite finding out that she was, in fact, the victim of a scammer, the victim did end up losing $5,000 from the initial Zelle transaction. “I’m usually pretty cynical but this, I think it was the fear factor,” she said.
The real Schultz did confirm to 7News that there are multiple victims targeted by this type of scam. “There is at least one individual who sent them money,” he said. “So with that, we absolutely have a fraud that we’re investigating and we have a lot of evidence to go on. There’s a number of people, since that day, who have called me. So there is a number of other victims out there.”
The woman sent a text to the scammer that he should be ashamed of what he was doing and that she would forgive him if he returned the $5,000. The fraudster responded with a text that reads, “I received my punishment in advance now I’m reaping what I paid for. Thank you for forgiving me. I am in need so this was your best donation. My family and I are very appreciative, I’m being serious when I say you may have saved my life.”
“I want to see these people arrested and I want other people to be aware,” said the woman.
Detectives at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said that a government agency will not ask a person to Zelle or Venmo them any money.
Local authorities have urged residents to be cautious of unsolicited phone calls and threats of arrest, emphasizing the importance of verifying the identity of callers before taking any actions.
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