Wethersfield Resident Scammed Out Of $5K

WETHERSFIELD, CT — Police have issued a warning after a local resident was scammed out of $5,000. The resident had been contacted by telephone and they would be arrested by federal authorities for a variety of crimes if they didn't send $5,000 to a location in New York.

"The resident fell under the spell of the very convincing con artist, drove to the bank, and withdrew the money," police said in a Facebook post. "She then drove to a specific shipping store that was chosen by the con artist, who stayed on the phone with the resident the entire time and told her that she would be arrested immediately if she told anyone what she was doing. The resident was instructed to place the money in a newspaper, put it in a box, and overnight the money to an address in New York, which she did."

However, the resident then became worried they had made a huge mistake and called police. Following an investigation, police were able to track down the delivery van, recover the money, and return it to the resident.

"Initial reaction would be to think the resident was careless or naive, but this resident is an educated individual who believed what the con artist was saying because they are that convincing," police said.

Police said this kind of scam is frequently used.

"If you find yourself in a predicament like this, hang up and block the caller. If you have sent money, call the police immediately. Sending any money, whether it's cash, Western Union, Money Gram, Amazon money transfer, Green Dot cards, iTunes gift cards, etc to someone you've never met before is ALWAYS a scam."