A Roswell man handed $30,000 in cash to a stranger in a brown paper bag on the evening of Monday, Aug. 10, after scammers spent nearly a month convincing him his bank accounts were tied to a cartel money laundering investigation.
The victim reported the fraud to Roswell police on Tuesday, Aug. 11, according to Appen Media, which obtained details from the police report.
No arrests have been made.
The scheme began in mid-July when the man received a call from someone posing as an American Express representative who said a card was being used in his name. The call was transferred to someone claiming to be with the New York City Police Department. After speaking with three supposed NYPD officers, the man was told his Bank of America account was involved in money laundering for a cartel.
He was then transferred to a caller posing as an FBI agent, who threatened detention unless the man shared information about his Fidelity Investments and Wells Fargo accounts. The victim sent a photo of his account balances with the account numbers redacted.
The scammers directed him to buy a new phone for $1,200 so they could monitor him through the encrypted messaging app Signal. They promised to refund the cost.
About a month later, on Monday, Aug. 10, the man logged into what he believed was his Fidelity account online and received a notification that it was compromised. He called a number provided and reached someone claiming to be from "Microsoft Word." That caller told him to go to Wells Fargo, withdraw $30,000 in cash, put it in a brown paper bag and bring it to 8610 Roswell Road.
The man met the suspect between 7:30 and 8 p.m. and handed over the money. He described the suspect as approximately 5-foot-7 with a small build and black curly hair.
The incident is the latest in a string of government-impersonation scams hitting Roswell this summer. In late June, police received two reports in two days: one victim lost nearly $2,000 via Apple Cash and Zelle after a fraudster posed as a police officer, and another lost $7,000 via Apple Cash after being told she missed jury duty, according to an earlier Appen Media report.
Roswell Police Chief James W. Conroy's department posted a scam alert on its official X account on July 20 warning that the scheme "continues to pop up in our area" and reminding residents that police will never call to solicit money for warrant payments or fines, and that no city court accepts payment in bitcoin or gift cards.
Anyone with information about the Monday, Aug. 10, incident can contact Roswell police at (770) 640-4160.
