Earlier this year, a 25-year-old Rochester man was scammed out of more than $2,400 in a phone scam over the weekend.
According to a story from kttc.com, the Rochester Police Department reported that a someone claiming to be from Federal Express International supposedly said there was an effort to deliver a surprise package for the restaurant’s manager and that funds were needed to pay for delivery fees. The caller was made in Spanish and had to be translated by another employee, according to the report.
There was assurance by the caller that funds would be reimbursed through an app called “Remitly.” The app was downloaded and the translator was told to provide a copy of his driver’s license. According to police, the man transferred his own money from an ATM to bitcoin.
The man later received notification from the app reporting that over $2,400 had been removed from his account.
“The scammers then tried to take another $500 from his account, but there was nothing left for them to take,” the kttc.com story reported.
Share your scam story
Local law enforcement is concerned about the impact of scams on area residents, particularly the elderly.
Consequently, this newspaper works with local police and sheriff’s departments to keep residents updated on common schemes. Scam Alerts will appear in future editions as often as possible in the coming weeks.
Readers can also find online scam updates Tuesdays at windomnews.com.
If you have been the target of a scam, your first contact should be local authorities. Also, feel free to contact us with details (we can keep your name confidential).
Send your story to: rahnl@windomnews.com, or call 507-831-3455. By sharing, you could prevent someone from being scammed.
