Scam Features Fake Western Springs Top Cop: Police

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – A Western Springs resident lost $11,000 in an elaborate scheme that featured an imposter of the local police chief, authorities said.

Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.

The victim was identified as a 52-year-old man who lives on Parkview Drive.

On April 5, the resident received a call from someone claiming to work for Amazon, saying several fraudulent accounts had been opened in the man's name, police said.

The resident said he saw no recent charges on his Amazon account. The scammer then referred the man to a person who claimed to work for the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC imposter told the man that his Social Security number was "now in the hands of a sophisticated criminal enterprise and they have laundered money and purchased drugs in his name," police said.

The resident was then told that he would have to defend himself to the government and face jail time if he did not cooperate. He was also advised not to tell anyone about his situation and that he should change his Social Security number.

To protect his checking account, the man was advised by the FTC imposter to withdraw all the money and deposit it into a bitcoin machine, police said.

The resident then called the Western Springs Police Department's records division and asked whether it had any business with him. The division said it did not.

Later, the resident received a phone call from an imposter claiming to be Sean Gilhooley, police chief for Western Springs, according to the report. The imposter said he received a fax from the FTC confirming the resident was under investigation for money laundering.

The resident said the caller ID showed the call was from the Western Springs Police Department, with the department's number, 708-246-8540. (Scammers can trick caller ID.)

The resident said he was suspicious of the whole story, but the callers continued saying they were "legit." The scammers said they would come by the man's house on May 8 to deliver his new Social Security card.

The resident then went to Chase Bank in Willowbrook and withdrew $11,000 from his checking account. He deposited the money into a bitcoin machine at Mobil gas station on Wolf Road in Western Springs. He transferred the money to an account number that the scammers provided him, police said.

After the deposit, the suspects continued calling him to ask for more money. At that point, he realized it was a scam.

He told police he did not provide the scammers with his Social Security number or any bank account information.

Western Springs police told the resident to monitor his bank accounts as a precaution.