Rosemead man arrested Tuesday after Camarillo resident scammed out of $84,000 earlier this year
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – On Tuesday, a 44-year-old Rosemead man was arrested in connection with a scam that got $84,000 from a Camarillo man in May of this year.
In May, patrol deputies responded to a reported theft in Camarillo and an investigation revealed that a 70-year-old resident had been scammed out of $84,000 by a person claiming to work with "McAfee Security" stated a press release from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Wednesday.
Days before filing the report, the 70-year-old had received a phone call from an unknown caller who claimed they worked for "McAfee Security" and that the Camarillo man's bank account information may have been compromised detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
The caller was able to share key details about the 70-year-old's bank account and over the following days, convinced the Camarillo resident to withdraw $84,000 and give that amount in cash to a person who the caller said worked with them at "McAfee Security" explained the local sheriff's office.
The victim was given a verbal security code that he shared with a man, later identified as a 44-year-old Rosemead man, he believed worked with the caller at "McAfee Security" before giving him the $84,000 in cash stated the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Days later, the 70-year-old suspected he had been the victim of a scam and reported what had happened to the Camarillo Police Department noted the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
On June 30, detectives contacted the 44-year-old Rosemead man while he was driving to meet what investigators believe was another potential scam victim detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the 44-year-old was found to have a large amount of cash at the time as well as a modified air-soft handgun, shown in the featured image of this article.
Detectives then secured and executed a search warrant at a home in the 3000 block of Muscatel Avenue in Rosemead added the local law enforcement agency.
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office shared that the 44-year-old was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility on charges of theft by false pretenses, grand theft, and theft from an elder adult and his bail was set at $500,000.
The local sheriff's office warns that recent advances in technology have led to steep rise in sophisticated financial scams that usually involved emails or phone calls from trusted sources, including the IRS, banks, popular company's, and even local law enforcement agencies.
Scammers will pressure victims into giving or sending money, often by creating a false sense of urgency.
If you suspect you may be getting scammed, do not send money nor share personal information.
Instead, contact law enforcement. The Camarillo Police Station can be reached at 805-388-5100, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center can be found here and the Federal Trade Commission will also accept reports of scams impacting people nationwide.
