MARTIN COUNTY — Martin County Sheriff’s Office detectives recovered $17,000 stolen from a resident in a phone scam that used a spoofed bank number to deceive the victim, authorities said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect called the victim using a phone number that appeared to be from Chase Bank and claimed there was fraudulent activity on the victim’s account. After multiple calls, the scammer allegedly instructed the victim to withdraw $17,000 so the “FBI” could “secure” the funds in a new account.
The victim placed the cash in a vehicle arranged by the scammer, which then left Martin County. Detectives worked with the West Palm Beach Police Department and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office South Florida Criminal Apprehension Team to locate the vehicle and recover all of the stolen money.
No arrests were made, but officials said the recovery was a rare outcome in such scams, where stolen funds are seldom retrieved.
The sheriff’s office noted that scammers often use unwitting rideshare drivers to collect or transport stolen money, and reminded residents that no law enforcement agency or bank will ever ask individuals to withdraw or hand over their cash to “secure” it.
Authorities urged anyone receiving suspicious calls to hang up and contact their bank directly.