South Mississippi woman tried to send $25,000 to scammers. Here’s who saved her
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Alert postal clerk intercepted a package and stopped a $25,000 scam payment.
- Investigators recovered cash, found prior $30,000 loss, and opened a joint probe.
- Sheriff urged public vigilance; said government agencies don’t call demanding money.
An attentive clerk at Premier Postal in Long Beach saved an elderly woman from being scammed and prompted Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley to warn others in a news release.
The sheriff’s office had previously sent out bulletins about scams that fraudulently claim legal or IRS funds are owed.
The clerk at Premier Postal noticed an elderly female customer was talking on her phone with a male who had a “strong foreign accent.” He was instructing her on shipping an incorrectly wrapped package.
The clerk, trying to help the woman secure the package, saw that it contained a large amount of money.
“The clerk became concerned as the elderly female could not provide information as to the recipient or the high cost of the requested expedited shipping,” the news release said. When the woman left the package at the store to be shipped, the clerk called the sheriff’s office, believing the woman was a victim of one of the scams mentioned in the sheriff’s bulletins.
Investigators intercepted the elderly woman’s package, which contained $25,000.
They located the elderly woman at her home and learned that she believed she owed the payment to the IRS for outstanding taxes, the news release said. She had been told that she would be arrested and pay additional penalties unless she made the “immediate cash payment,” the news release said.
She had previously been defrauded out of more than $30,000, the news release said.
“Due to her intuitive instinct and awareness, the store clerk acted commendably, preventing additional losses by the victim,” the news release said. “Investigators were also able to obtain invaluable evidence as to a possible suspect.”
The Department of Homeland Security assisted with a joint investigation, which is active and ongoing.
Sheriff Haley warned the public to be alert to these scams and remember that government agencies never call and demand payments.
