Carroll Sheriff ’s Office warns of PayPal scam

Suspects arrested in Finksburg during a sting operation charged with felonies

The Carroll County Sheriff ’s Office is warning residents to be skeptical about unexpected calls, texts or other messages requesting money, following the arrests of two men who police say arrived in Finksburg from New York to collect money in a scam involving the online payment system PayPal.

The sheriff ’s office said that two men, one from Flushing, the other from

Brooklyn, arrived in Finksburg in November to collect a scam-related payment, during a sting operation set up by Carroll County detectives.

The two men, ages 29 and 31, were arrested after they showed up at a victim’s house in Finksburg in November. They are being held without bail and are scheduled for a hearing next month before Carroll County Circuit Judge Brian DeLeonardo.

The men were both charged with participation in a criminal organization and theft scheme from $25,000 to $100,000, both felonies.

The 31-year-old suspect was also charged with a theft scheme from $1,500 to $25,000, a felony, and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia. The 29-year-old suspect was also charged with an attempted theft scheme from $1,500 to $25,000, a misdemeanor, according to Maryland Judiciary Case Search.

The Finksburg victim began receiving fraudulent emails, texts and calls from a person claiming to represent PayPal in October, according to the Carroll County Sheriff ’s Office. Those communications claimed that an error occurred in the victim’s account and that the victim owed PayPal money. The victim was instructed to withdraw money from the bank to cover the error, while the scammer arranged for a courier to go to the victim’s house to pick up the payment.

After the sheriff ’s office got involved, deputies asked the victim to set up another transfer at the victim’s Finksburg home, where deputies from Patrol Operations and Investigative Services were waiting. The two suspects arrived in a car and parked in the victim’s driveway, according to the sheriff’s office, and were arrested after attempting to collect the money.

The 31-year-old defendant will be represented by Westminster attorney William Bradley Bauhof, of W. Bradley Bauhof LLC. The 29-year-old defendant will be represented by attorney Jennifer Kafes, of the Law Office of James E. Crawford and Associates in Linthicum, according to Maryland Judiciary Case Search.

More information about this case will likely be available in the coming weeks, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Information Officer Cpl. Jon Light said in an email.

According to the Sheriff ’s Office, people should be skeptical of any unexpected email, text or call asking for money. Anyone who receives such a message can contact the company through other means to confirm the legitimacy of the request before withdrawing money, even if the message seems to be legitimate. Additional fraud prevention tips can be found at: https:// consumer.ftc.gov/articles/ how-avoid-scam.

Anyone with relevant information about this alleged crime can contact Det. Devin Herold at 410-396-2929 or djherold@ carrollcountymd.gov.