Amazon scam: Troy woman scammed out of $300K in 2 months
TROY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Troy woman was scammed out of $300,000 in cash, gold, and silver after authorities said she was contacted by someone claiming to with Amazon's fraud department and accusing her of drug trafficking.
Troy Police said the scam started with a phone call on June 23 from someone claiming to be from the Amazon Fraud Department. By the end of August, the scammers were gone – with the woman's money and investments.
According to police, the caller told the woman that she should contact the Social Security Administration because she may be a victim of fraud. Then she was connected to a different person who said she was under federal investigation for drug trafficking and fraud.
This person told her not to talk to anyone about her case. The person then said he could protect her from legal action, but she had to send him any money she had over $5,000.
To do this, she bought pre-paid gift cards and sent the caller text photos of the numbers to transfer the balance to him.
The suspect then asked for documentation of her assets and a copy of her driver's license, which she provided.
Among the assets was a large investment in gold and silver, which she was given instructions for how to turn that over to them so "they could be protected from seizure". The woman turned them over which was valued over $300,000.
That's when the suspect stopped communicating with the woman. By then, it was Aug. 28, a little more than two months since the scam first started.
When she learned the number had been disconnected, she knew something was off and she alerted her husband and then police about what happened.
Amazon's support page states they will never ask for money and payments should be provided via a gift card claim code. Learn more about their internet scams and phishing here.