Tropical Smoothie Employee Deposits Money In Phone Scam: Police

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — An employee at the Tropical Smoothie store on South Gateway Drive just off Route 17 told police that a man purportedly from Tropical Smoothie's corporate headquarters called the store around 5:15 p.m. Monday to tell her that the store was under investigation by law enforcement, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

Because of the fake investigation, the caller told the employee to take the contents of the cash register and deposit the money into a Wells Fargo account. The employee made the deposit as instructed by the caller.

The employee then called her manager who suspected a scam and contacted the police. The store is not under investigation by law enforcement. The Stafford sheriff's office said it is investigating the incident.

Anyone with information about the suspected scam is asked to contact the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office at 540-658-4400.