IMPOSTOR POSED #LASD EXTORT MONEY
Between
March, 2019 and April, 2019, an imposter posing as a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff
stole thousands of dollars from numerous victims. The imposter called residents, told them he
was a deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and
demanded payment of a fine for failing to respond to a jury duty summons.
In fear
of being arrested, victims paid the fine in the form of gift cards. The truth was, the imposter lied about the
jury summonses, and used a fraudulent sense of emergency and pressure to coerce
hard-earned money from unsuspecting people, many of them elderly.
Several
reports with similar characteristics were received and investigation of the
crime spree was assigned to detectives from the Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau-Emerging
Cyber Trends team. As the investigation
proceeded, it became clear the imposter used a sophisticated set of techniques
to hide his location and identity, including telephone number spoofs and the
use of names of real LASD personnel.
Detectives
identified the suspect as Nicolas Brady Kennedy, 29, of Loganville,
Georgia. They travelled to Georgia,
where they worked with investigators from the Loganville Police Department and
the U.S. Marshalls Service, to obtain and serve a search warrant at the
suspect’s residence. During service of
the warrant, the suspect and additional evidence were located, as well as a second
suspect, Ashley Marie Walker, 28, of Loganville, Georgia.
Kennedy
was charged with six counts of Extortion, California Penal Code Section 518,
and three counts of Attempted Extortion, California Penal Code Sections 664 and
518, by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Kennedy is being held in the Gwinnett County
Jail in Georgia on a probation hold, pending extradition to California.
Walker
was charged with three counts of Extortion, California Penal Code Section 518,
and three counts of Attempted Extortion, Penal Code Sections 664 and 518, by
the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Walker is currently out of custody. A warrant was issued for her arrest.
During a
press conference held Monday, September 16, 2019, Sheriff Alex Villanueva
announced the investigation.
Chief
Pat Nelson outlined the investigation and presented methods of preventing
falling prey to similar scams. “The main
focus…is to make sure we try to avoid additional victims,” he said. “It’s much better if we’re able to warn the
public of the danger, to begin with.”
If you
receive a demand for payment by telephone, email or other means of
communication, to be made in any form for any reason, from someone portraying themself
as a deputy sheriff or other Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employee, do
not comply. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department personnel will never ask for payment over the phone or by email.
If you
believe you were a victim of this type of crime, contact your local law
enforcement agency and report the incident.
Here are
some tips to identify a potential threat-based impersonation scam and how to
prevent yourself from falling prey to this scam or similar scams:
TACTICS:
- Scammers
pretend to be from a government agency.
- They
threaten victims with arrest for outstanding warrants or other legal issue.
- They
pressure victims to purchase various types of gift cards or instruct them how
to purchase bitcoin.
- Once
a victim makes the purchase, the scammer instructs them to read the gift card
numbers or bitcoin key over the phone.
- Once
the scammer is satisfied they received the necessary information, the line is
disconnected.
- Los
Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel will never ask for any type of
payment over the telephone. Financial
transactions with our agency are handled at patrol stations, court houses and
custody facilities.
PREVENTION
METHODS:
- If
you are unsure if a call or email is real, verify the identity of the contact
through an independent source, such as a phone book or online search. Do not use the contact details provided by
the caller or in the message they sent.
- Do
not feel pressured by a threatening caller.
Hang up and verify their story.
- Never
send money, or give bank account, credit card or personal information to anyone
you do not know or trust.
- A
government agency or trusted business will never ask for payment by
unconventional methods, such as gift or store cards, iTunes, cards, wire
transfers, or bitcoin.
