Elderly couple lose $18,000 to refund scam
A Spring Township couple lost $18,000 after falling prey to a so-called Geek Squad imposter scam.
On April 5, township police received a report that a couple in their 80s had been the victims of a scam. Police did not provide the victims’ names. The woman had called for a subscription to Best Buy Geek Squad, a technology support service.
She called the correct number to attempt to arrange an appointment for the next day, but due to a scheduling conflict one could not be arranged.
The woman looked up a Best Buy contact number on the internet and found one that appeared to be legitimate, Spring Township Detective Timothy Katzaman said.
Katzaman described the scam as follows:
The person the woman spoke to purported to assist her in refunding the cost of her Geek Squad subscription, he said, but that’s where the trouble began.
Over the phone, she somehow provided remote access to the couple’s computer. She observed as a bank account page was opened on the screen. The person on the phone told her to input $179.99 so that amount could be transferred from that bank account to the couple’s account.
She entered that amount, but the person on the phone told her she entered the number incorrectly and caused the transfer of $17,999 — 100 times the amount of the intended refund — into her checking account.
The woman checked their account, and it appeared to show a deposit of $17,999.
The purported representative said they were going to be fired for the error and pleaded with the woman and her husband to return the money. They agreed to return it.
The husband was instructed to go to their financial institution and withdraw $17,999. The purported company would send a representative to their residence to pick up the cash.
After withdrawing the cash, the husband received a call. A man said he was at the apartment complex. The husband was instructed to meet the person at the entrance.
A man in his 20s exited a white SUV. After giving the confirmation code he was provided earlier, the husband handed the man an envelope containing the money.
The man drove from the complex, but the scammers, as is often the case once they have their hooks in a victim, weren’t done with the couple.
After returning to their apartment, the husband checked their account through online banking and noticed another $18,000 had been deposited. He received a call about 4 p.m. from the person with whom they had spoken earlier. He was told the same error had happened again and was asked to return the money once again.
The husband agreed and went to a different branch of the same financial institution to withdraw the money.
He was told a different person would pick up the cash because the first person was having car trouble. He was told to expect the person between 7:30 and 9 p.m.
In the meantime, the
couple’s adult children arrived at the apartment. Upon hearing about what had transpired, they informed their parents that they were being scammed.
They called the police. The envelope containing the $18,000 was taken to a secure location.
Police asked the couple to contact them if anyone arrived at the apartment complex to pick up the money.
Shortly before 11 p.m., police were called to the couple’s residence after they reported a man was ringing their doorbell.
Officers found the man walking toward his vehicle. They detained him.
The man, identified as Sakibul Pranto, 25, of Jamaica, N.Y., was found to have an ear bud in one ear that was being used to converse with another male through WhatsApp, with the WhatsApp Money Transfer app showing on his screen.
Katazaman interviewed Pranto, who said he had been working for a ride-hailing service and was instructed to respond to the Spring residence and transport one person to New York. He said he would be paid $400 cash by the person he was picking up.
He said it was late at night when he arrived so he thought the person wouldn’t hear the phone ring, so he instead rang the doorbell.
Pranto was charged with conspiracy to commit theft by deception and receiving stolen property. He was committed to Berks County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail to await a hearing following arraignment Saturday before District Judge Priscilla Campos in Reading Central Court.
Katzaman said Pranto’s smartphone will be forensically downloaded in the hopes of identifying the person involved in the first part of the scam and the person who received the $18,000, assuming they are not the same. He said the person who gets arrested at the end of a scam is often not the main perpetrator.
“I’m definitely going to follow up and see what’s on the phone, but that’s going to take some time,” the detective said. “For all intents and purpose, they are out $18,000.”
This type of scam perpetrated is described on the Federal Trade Commission consumer advice page. It’s a variation of the Geek Squad subscription renewal scam. The FTC describes it as follows:
You get a text message or email that says you were or will be charged hundreds of dollars to renew your Geek Squad membership. If you want to dispute the charge or cancel your membership, the message says you must call a phone number within 24 hours.
If you call the number — which you should not do — the scammer might ask for remote access to your computer. If you give it to them, they can install spyware programs, steal your online banking credentials and drain money from your account.