July 16, 2003
Albany - Investigators hope surveillance video will help them catch two men who conned an elderly man out of $40,000. A well-dressed man walked into Security Bank with James Hill Tuesday morning and stood by as the 71 one-year asked tellers to withdraw the cash.
"The men's work was smooth and effortless," said Lt. Craig Reno, DCP. "That leads us to believe they may have scammed other people." The suspect and another man, claiming to be investigators, told Hill that he was a victim of identity theft. They advised him to remove his money from the bank so it wouldn't be stolen, and then they took off with the money.
Now, police are warning you to be on guard for similar scams. "Police rarely, if ever, ask victims or suspects of crimes to withdraw money from the bank," said Lt. Reno. "So I urge you to call your bank if you fear something suspicious is happening."
Albany Bank and Trust Manager Rosa Ramsey says older adults are often the target of scams. She says you should remember that your money is safest when it is in an insured bank account. "Our job is to protect your money," said Ramsey. "Anytime our customers ask for a large amount of money, we suggest they get cashier's check. Once scams victims hand over cash money, there is nothing a bank can do to get that money back."
Another popular scam to watch out for - telemarketers tell people if they pay them a set amount, let's say $200, then they'll win $1,000,000. But, once the victim hands over the money, they never hear from the con artist again. The bottom line - just ask your bank or the police when in doubt. It could save you big bucks.
If you have any information about the latest scam please contact the Dougherty County Police.
Posted at 5:56PM by kathryn.murchison@walb.com
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WALB, a Raycom Media Station. 
