Parma residents are getting a knock at the door that nobody wants, as police warn about a wave of courier-style scams where drivers show up to collect cash on command from con artists.
Investigators say scammers coach victims over the phone to pull money out of their bank accounts or buy stacks of gift cards, then send a courier to the doorstep to scoop up the haul. Thanks to quick-thinking relatives and alert patrol officers, Parma police say they have intercepted several of these pickups and made arrests.
Scott Traxler, the Parma Police Department’s public information officer, told News 5 Cleveland that the crooks are now hiding behind unsuspecting Uber courier drivers to do their dirty work and grab the cash from victims.
"Luckily, we've been alerted by family members, and we've been able to stop the Uber driver when they arrive, work with them, get any information they received from the scammer, follow them back to the drop-off point, and we've made successful arrests," Traxler said. He told the station that investigators believe the suspects are part of a network operating in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
How the scam plays out
Police say the setup usually starts with a call from someone pretending to be a bank official or a law-enforcement agent who claims your money is in danger and has to be moved immediately. The impostor typically pressures the victim to act fast and to keep the entire transaction secret, insisting that cash be withdrawn or gift cards purchased, then handed to a courier who will come to the house.
According to the FBI, legitimate agencies will never ask you to move funds for them or give cash to a courier. The bureau advises that victims report suspected fraud to local police and to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3.
Similar warnings elsewhere
Parma is far from alone in dealing with this problem. Authorities in other parts of the country have recently rolled out similar alerts as courier-style schemes spread.
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office warned residents about ride-share courier scams that go after older adults, and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office recently highlighted a case in which a local couple lost more than $28,000 in a nearly identical courier-style swindle.
Red flags and what to do
Parma police say there are several bright-red warning signs that a call is a scam: being told to withdraw cash for an "investigation", being instructed to mail money or hand it over to a courier, being ordered to keep the transaction secret, being told to "verify" funds by sending them elsewhere, or being informed that a ride-share driver will be used to transport your money.
Residents can protect themselves by confirming any banking or law-enforcement call using the number on the back of a bank card or by going to a branch in person, according to News 5 Cleveland.
If you suspect you are being targeted, police say you should hang up, call your bank using the number on your card, and contact local law enforcement. You can also file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3 to help investigators track patterns and try to recover losses.
