Man poses as DEA agent to steal $149,000 from 68-year-old Lincoln woman, police say
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – An unknown man posed as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent to steal over $149,000 from a 68-year-old woman, Lincoln Police say.
The victim first reported the scam to police on Tuesday and told officers it all started with a phone call on July 11.
An unknown person informed her there was an unauthorized purchase on her Amazon account. During the call, she was transferred to a man who identified himself as a DEA agent.
He said multiple credit cards and bank accounts were opened in her name in several states.
The agent then told her to take money out of her bank and place it into another account so they could verify it wasn’t laundered.
She began by taking out $25,000. The next day, the man told her to take out more money, so she withdrew another $5,000.
The man then advised the victim to put the cash in bags outside of her home. The man said an agent would pick them up and reimburse her with a cashier’s check.
Police say the money was taken but there was no cashier’s check left behind.
The next day, the agent said the woman now needed to buy $120,000 of gold, which she proceeded to do.
Two days later, the man ordered her to place the bags of gold outside of her home so it could be picked up by an agent.
One hour later and the gold was gone. Police say this is when the 68-year-old became suspicious and called the authorities.
The total loss is $149,294.84, according to police.
Police remind the community that law enforcement would never ask to be paid in cash or precious metals as part of an investigation.
They also ask people to stay cautious of anyone asking for bank account numbers.
