An area woman contacted authorities regarding threats she was receiving on Instagram. She told responding officers that she had received a message from a person on Instagram asking her to be their “sugar mama.” The person, who reportedly went by the username, Amanda Rebecca told the woman that they were lonely and just wanted somebody to talk to. They promised to send money if she would talk to them.
The victim said they sent her three checks over an email app totaling $2400. She told investigators that after depositing the money in her bank account, the alleged scammer demanded that she send the money to someone else. The scammer threatened her if she did not comply. The victim said that she didn’t think the scammers had her bank account information but she contacted her bank and advised them of the scam and asked to have her accounts locked.
The investigating deputy told the victim to bloc the scammer from her Instagram account and any other app she may have used to communicate with them. She gave the deputy the phone number the person had used. When the deputy called the number, the person who answered the phone hung up when he identified himself. He called back and told them that he knew they were running a scam but the person claimed they did not have Instagram and hung up.
What is a money mule scam?
Scams in which somebody says they want to send you money are rampant. The reasons they want to send you money vary but the basic plot of the scam is to use unwitting victims into becoming money mules. It starts with somebody trying to start a relationship with you online. Whatever the story is, the next step is they want to send you money – and then ask, or demand that you send it to somebody else.
The money is likely stolen and the scammer is using you as a money mule. If you deposit a scammer’s check, it may clear, but if the bank finds out it’s a fake check, you may be responsible for repaying the bank. And if you help a scammer move stolen money – even if you did so unknowingly, you could end up in legal trouble.
