Georgia woman arrested in $15K Volusia County sheriff impersonation scam linked to prison inmates
Georgia woman accused of scamming Floridian out of $15K
Vera Faust, of Athens, Georgia, was arrested and extradited to Florida to face charges for allegedly scamming someone out of some $15,000. Sheriff Mike Chitwood said most of that money was recovered.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said yet another arrest has been made, as Georgia prison inmates continue to run scams targeting Floridians.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Vera Faust, 43, of Athens, Georgia, and three others were involved in a scheme in which scammers called a DeLand woman pretending to be members of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
What they're saying:
The woman was told she needed to send money to avoid being arrested and ultimately sent the scammers $15,000, according to the sheriff.
Investigators believe inmates at a Georgia prison were behind the operation and used associates outside the prison to help collect or move the stolen money. This is at least the third person arrested and brought to Florida, allegedly connected to the prison gang’s scam.
Just over a week ago, Annie Ashley, 61, was arrested in a similar, fake jury duty scam.
Detectives believe the inmates are using phones and other technology to communicate with people outside of prison in order to collect and handle the stolen money.
"They just keep on scamming up there in these Georgia prisons, and we’re going to keep on bringing them back," Chitwood said.
In the latest DeLand incident, detectives were able to recover most of the funds.
FOX 35 News has covered several of these scammer stories, and they've become more common over recent years. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a member of law enforcement asking for money, it is a scam.
"That’s not how law enforcement works," Chitwood said. "Use an expletive and hang up."
Faust was extradited to Volusia County, charged with fraud.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.