Impersonation scam from fake police officer costs Baltimore woman thousands

BALTIMORE - A single scam phone call could shake your financial stability and your sense of security. That's exactly what happened to a Baltimore woman recently, who is sharing her story hoping to prevent others from falling victim.

Impersonation scams often start with a phone call from somebody claiming to be in law enforcement or having an official government title. They aim to trick victims into paying fake fines under threat of arrest. 

A version of this scam has resurfaced in Baltimore, with fraudsters targeting those in the healthcare industry. 

Scammed out of thousands

In May, a woman, who does not want to be identified, said she was scammed out of more than $10,000 through this scheme. 

"The caller ID said that it was the Baltimore County Sheriff's Department," she said. "The man introduced himself as a police officer. I googled his name. He was actually a police officer in Baltimore." 

The person on the other end of the line claimed the woman, a licensed therapist, missed a court date she had been subpoenaed for the previous day and there was now a warrant out for her arrest. 

The victim explained that therapists can be subpoenaed to testify as expert witnesses in court cases. However, this would have been the woman's first time being called for this type of role. 

"I could even imagine a previous client it could have been for," she said.

The scammer is accused of giving the woman an ultimatum: threats to send law enforcement to her front door right away or pay two citations totaling $10,000. 

If she did the latter, only then could she come down to the police station to verify the signature on the subpoena was not hers. 

"We'll see that this wasn't you who signed for this. We'll give you your money back. You're off the hook, your warrant will be cleared," she was told. 

"Life-altering amount of money"

Under intimidation tactics and isolation, the woman said the police impersonator kept her on the phone for five hours through stops to make withdrawals from a bank, then to an ATM to turn the cash into bitcoin. 

But even after paying the fines, the scammer tried to press for more money, claiming a third citation had just been discovered. 

This is where the woman drew the line. 

"He was really alternatingly befriending me and then threatening me and it's the hardest thing to wrap my head around that somebody could do this to another person," she said. 

After no one showed up to the woman's house with handcuffs, she later called the Baltimore County Sheriff's Office. They confirmed a devastating discovery: she had been scammed. 

"I was mad. I'm thinking can I get this money back? This is a life-altering amount of money for me," she said. 

Supervisory Special Agent at FBI Baltimore, Keith Custer, said the answer is almost always "no."

More scams in the Baltimore region

This wasn't the first time this scam hit the Baltimore region. 

In 2022, FBI Baltimore put out a release with a warning about a scam targeting people in the health care industry. It involved fraudsters posing as law enforcement or government officials in an attempt to extort money. 

"The facts are almost identical to what we saw two years ago," said Custer. "We had a spat of 5 or 10 complaints very similar." 

Custer said while agents can sometimes make arrests in these cases, prevention is paramount. 

"Stop, take a breath, talk to someone, but most importantly, just don't pick up the call," Custer said. 

The therapist in this case shared her story hoping that this doesn't happen to another person in this industry or any other. 

"This was a really difficult experience for me to go through and that is going to be part of my healing journey now," she said. 

The crime was reported to the Baltimore City Police Department and the FTC. 

Tackling the crimes

In an effort to combat these crimes, the FBI said the agency has placed agents overseas with the specific task of working with foreign governments in taking down call centers, many of which are based in India and South Asia. 

If you believe that you were the victim of this scam, contact local law enforcement to file a report immediately.

The victim's friend started an online fundraiser to help recoup some of the money lost in this scam.