PEPPER PIKE, Ohio — Every day, scammers are out there targeting you and your loved ones, and I have a reminder to talk to your parents or grandparents about an online threat I continue to report on despite countless warnings.
I'm talking about impersonation scams.
An 82-year-old Pepper Pike man is out thousands of dollars, and the money he was told was in his account by accident.
He was contacted by someone he thought was an employee from PayPal, claiming the company had overpaid him $15,000.
The man withdrew the cash from his bank and met the suspect in a public setting, where cameras and license plate readers captured the information detectives needed.
I spoke with Pepper Pike Sgt. Eric Kuznik, who is working on this case.
He tells me two men in their 20s were allegedly acting as "money mules" in a scam that defrauded elderly victims out of more than $100,000 in cases in Ohio and New York.
They were arrested by the FBI and charged in a federal cyberfraud investigation.
"So, what started as a simple report in Pepper Pike ended up being a small part of what appears to be a much larger network hence the FBI getting involved. The suspects did appear to have ties to Kent State University, they were living in the Kent area, it's my understanding they were here on student visas," said Kuznik.
Police tell me the scheme also involved scammers posing as government agents or tech support representatives from companies like Microsoft or Geek Squad.
Kuznik's advice is what I have shared with you before: if you get a convincing email or phone call, take a step back and contact the government agency or company directly from a verified source.
