A 22-year-old man from Pompano Beach was arrested last week and faces several charges after allegedly scamming an elderly victim out of tens of thousands of dollars in an elaborate Deerfield Beach bank fraud scheme, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
How the Deerfield Beach bank scam unfolded
BSO detectives said they were tipped off by the South Florida Fraud Task Force and the FBI.
Investigators learned the victim received a call from someone posing as a Wells Fargo representative who warned of a suspicious $20,000 withdrawal attempt. Another individual then joined the call, claiming to be an “investigator,” and instructed the victim to withdraw more than $20,000 in cash and ship it to an address in Deerfield Beach.
The victim, who BSO says lives in another state and who did not want to be identified, said the pressure was overwhelming.
“I kind of went into a panic mode. They had me running all over town and checking out my accounts and getting deposits,” the person recalled.
BSO spokesman Carey Codd told CBS News Miami the scammers even sent text messages that appeared authentic.
“Now what added to the credibility of the phone call is that the scammer said there was another person on this call, an investigator looking into fraud. He also said he sent verification codes. They also put pressure on the victim and the call was made toward the end of the day when the bank was getting ready to close. So he panicked.” Codd said.
“I thought they were legit because they gave me all them codes and were talking like they were agents and everything,” the person said.
Detectives said the victim complied and sent the money.
BSO / CBS News Miami
Arrest made at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
During their investigation, authorities traced the funds to 22-year-old Omari Burke, who allegedly posted a photo on social media bragging about the cash.
“He was bragging about getting ahold of this victim’s hard earned money. The detective said he believed that Burke may have victimized other people, particularly senior citizens,” Codd.
Burke was arrested on Sept. 16 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
He faces charges of obtaining property over $20,000 by fraud, money laundering, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, defrauding a financial institution and grand theft on a person 65 years of age or older.
The victim said the scam left him financially devastated.
“It drained my savings account one time and put me in kind of a financial hurt. I tried everything in the world to get it stopped, but I couldn’t stop it,” the person said.
The victim urged others not to trust unsolicited calls about their bank accounts and to hang up immediately if something feels off.
BSO shares warning signs of phone scams
Investigators believe Burke and others may have targeted additional senior citizens using similar tactics, and the investigation remains ongoing.
BSO also reminded residents to stay alert for phone scams, stressing that banks will never ask customers to withdraw funds and send them through third parties, nor will they request debit cards or PINs be handed over to a rideshare driver.
Officials urged anyone who suspects they are being scammed to hang up, call their bank directly, and report the incident to law enforcement.
“We have to be constantly on alert about scam artists who are constantly trying to get their hands on your hard earned money,” Codd said.
CBS News Miami has also reached out to Wells Fargo but has not heard back.
Victims living in a BSO jurisdiction who believe they may have fallen prey to a similar scam are encouraged to call BSO’s non-emergency number at 954-764-HELP (4357).
