Georgia Woman Charged with Defrauding Kosciusko Couple
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department detectives drove to the state of Georgia last week and arrested Joanne Karene McCrary, 74, Calhoun, Ga., on two counts of felony money laundering and two counts of felony theft.
KCSD Detectives initially began the investigation after a local elderly couple had filed a report after being conned out of thousands of dollars by a “Jamaican lottery” scam.
Jamaican lottery scams are well-established cons that prey on victims by informing them they have won either an international lottery or sweepstakes, according to the sheriff’s department. The fraudsters advise the victim that in order to receive their winnings they have to pay certain advance fees such as insurance, customs duties or taxes.
The local Kosciusko County couple had also discovered that their Social Security checks had been diverted to a location in Georgia. KCSD detectives followed the money trail to McCrary in Georgia, who was illegally transferring the stolen funds and mailing them in turn to Jamaica in the form of bank cards, they say.
McCrary herself had previously fallen victim to the scam, loosing tens of thousands of dollars as well. Detectives alleged that she had become a “mule” for the Jamaican criminals.
KCSD officers are currently working with officials from both the U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to locate other potential victims.
ICE is currently working with Jamaican officials on Project JOLT (Jamaican Operations Linked to Telemarketing), a task force concentrated on combating Jamaican-based telemarketing scams.
KCSD detectives and federal officials warn citizens to be aware of telemarketing scams and to pay particular attention to anyone using an 876 area code, which is often correlated with Jamaican scam artists.
More information can be located by going to www.ice.gov or www.scambusters.org
The Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office also assisted in the investigation.[[In-content Ad]]
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department detectives drove to the state of Georgia last week and arrested Joanne Karene McCrary, 74, Calhoun, Ga., on two counts of felony money laundering and two counts of felony theft.
KCSD Detectives initially began the investigation after a local elderly couple had filed a report after being conned out of thousands of dollars by a “Jamaican lottery” scam.
Jamaican lottery scams are well-established cons that prey on victims by informing them they have won either an international lottery or sweepstakes, according to the sheriff’s department. The fraudsters advise the victim that in order to receive their winnings they have to pay certain advance fees such as insurance, customs duties or taxes.
The local Kosciusko County couple had also discovered that their Social Security checks had been diverted to a location in Georgia. KCSD detectives followed the money trail to McCrary in Georgia, who was illegally transferring the stolen funds and mailing them in turn to Jamaica in the form of bank cards, they say.
McCrary herself had previously fallen victim to the scam, loosing tens of thousands of dollars as well. Detectives alleged that she had become a “mule” for the Jamaican criminals.
KCSD officers are currently working with officials from both the U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to locate other potential victims.
ICE is currently working with Jamaican officials on Project JOLT (Jamaican Operations Linked to Telemarketing), a task force concentrated on combating Jamaican-based telemarketing scams.
KCSD detectives and federal officials warn citizens to be aware of telemarketing scams and to pay particular attention to anyone using an 876 area code, which is often correlated with Jamaican scam artists.
More information can be located by going to www.ice.gov or www.scambusters.org
The Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office also assisted in the investigation.[[In-content Ad]]
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