Atlanta woman arrested for impersonating law enforcement in $79,000 fraud scheme

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A Georgia woman is accused of impersonating a captain with the Volusia County Sheriff's office and conducting a fraud scheme by threatening to send people to jail. Officials said this scene was run by inmates with the Georgia prison system. 

What we know:

D'Zyre Youngblood, 28, from Atlanta, is accused of posing as a law enforcement officer to scam people. Deputies said the scam was conducted by inmates in the Georgia prison system with help from the outside. 

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office's Financial Crimes Unit found Youngblood through Bitcoin wallet transfers after a local woman lost $79,000. The sheriff's office said the woman thought she was contacted by "Captain Dietrich," – a captain with the sheriff's office who Youngblood was impersonating. 

Deputies arrested Youngblood, who is now facing grand theft and organized scheme to defraud charges. 

Spot the fraud

The Federal Bureau of Investigation warns people to be wary of scammers posing as law enforcement officers.

"These fraudsters are capitalizing on fear and intimidation because nobody wants to be the victim of a crime or the subject of a law enforcement investigation," said FBI Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Peter Ellis in a news release. "The FBI will actively pursue and charge those who participate in such criminal activity." 

Fraudsters have been known to contact people by text, email or by calling. 

If someone receives such a call or email, they shouldn't provide any personal information, credit card numbers, prepaid cards or money, the FBI said. Federal authorities do not call victims of crimes or suspects of crimes and ask for money or personal identifying information over the telephone. 

Avoid the scam

What you can do:

The best thing to do is hang up the phone, the Volusia County Sheriff's office said. 

Tips from the FBI include: 

• Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, text messages, and emails.
• Never give money or personal information to someone with whom you don’t have ties and did not initiate contact.
• Trust your instincts: if an unknown caller pressures you or says things that don’t sound right, hang up.
• If concerns remain about the caller’s claims, verify the information with the appropriate law enforcement agency or court officials.

Reporting a fraud scheme

For those affected by a fraud scheme, the FBI advises reporting the crime by filing a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.