Moline Woman Loses $65,000 in Elaborate Government Impersonation Scam

Moline Woman Loses $65,000 in Government Impersonation Scam

A woman in Moline, Illinois lost $65,000 after scammers allegedly convinced her she was connected to a drug investigation, using a series of fake identities to make the scheme seem legitimate.

According to court documents, the scam happened in August and involved people posing as Walmart employees, a Social Security representative and a U.S. Marshal.

The victim was initially told she was a victim of identity theft.  But the story quickly became more alarming when she was allegedly told that a car rented in her name had been stopped with dogs inside and that multiple bank accounts had been opened using her identity.

Investigators said the scammers instructed the woman to send $25,000 to California, then told to withdraw another $40,000 in cash, place it inside a shoebox, wrap the box in duct tape and bring it to a Chick-Fil-A in Moline for a handoff.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

That exchange ultimately helped police identify a suspect.

According to investigators, the Moline Police Department obtained surveillance footage that helped them identify the suspect's vehicle.  Authorities then tracked the vehicle as it traveled through Missouri, where the State Highway Patrol assisted in stopping it.

The suspect was identified as Aman Aman, of California.

During the stop, investigators found an envelope belonging to the victim inside the vehicle.  The $40,000 was missing, though.

They also found a video on his phone showing him counting the victim's money.  Additional videos and a ledger were discovered, which they believe could be connected to other victims.

This case serves as a reminder that scammers can impersonate trusted companies and government officials to frighten victims into handing over their money.  If you ever get into a situation like this, make sure you know who you're giving money to and if it's seems too good to be true, it probably is.