8/17 A Verde Valley woman fell for a scam and is now out $4.3-million. YCSO says the woman in her 50’s, was contacted by the suspect who claimed to be with the FBI in New York. Over a 2-month period, the suspect convinced the woman through phone calls and emails that someone had attempted to use her name and her bank account to purchase firearms in New York and she was now part of a money laundering investigation. She was also told she was under constant digital surveillance and to contact no one. Fake documents and a bogus Microsoft Teams meeting convinced the woman to transfer the $4.3-million through a Bitcoin application so the money could be “scanned” to prove she was not part of the laundering scheme. After sending the money, she called YCSO who tried to track the money down. Officials say the money is gone, the IP addresses and spoofed phone numbers led to dead ends.
