Tacoma Police Department announcement.
The Tacoma Police Department would like to warn the public about predators targeting older adults walking to and from their vehicles in parking lots. These scam artists might claim to be a prince from a foreign country wanting to give away money or a car repairman who will “get rid of those dents” for cash. Whatever the scam, it will involve the victim withdrawing money from their bank account to give to the predator, or purchasing gift cards in lieu of currency to give to the predator. The scam artist will pressure the victim to make a quick decision so as not to lose “this opportunity” and will discourage them from calling any other family member for advice.
Once the money or gift cards have been given to these criminals, there is very little chance of it being recovered and returned to the victim.
These predators are approaching victims on foot in parking lots and never enter the banks or approach the ATM victims are withdrawing money from. This makes identifying these criminals very difficult.
Please get the word out to community elders, especially those that might not be on social media, and help keep our most vulnerable safe!
