WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – A Western Springs man paid $3,500 earlier this month to a caller who claimed to be "Officer Clark" with ICE in Tennessee, local police said.
Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.
On Aug. 4, the imposter told the 24-year-old man, who lives in the 3900 block of Western Avenue, that he had a warrant for his arrest and that he could solve the problem by paying, police said.
The scammer instructed the resident to buy gift cards for various amounts and send images of the cards to a certain number, police said. The resident followed the instructions, buying five gift cards, which totaled $3,500.
The resident later notified his bank, Community Bank of Western Springs, which started a fraud investigation, according to the report.
The man reported the crime to police the next day.
Police advised the resident to stop all communication with the scammer and block the person's phone number.
At 24, the man is far younger than most scam victims in Western Springs.
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