A scammer posing as a bank fraud department employee talked a victim into making multiple wire transfers, including one for $80,000, and withdrawing another $79,000 in cash over a matter of days, draining a total of $159,500 before the scheme was discovered. The case was featured in the sheriff's office's first Scam Free Saturday post, which aims to warn residents about fraud schemes.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office announced “Scam Free Saturdays,” a social media effort meant to spread the word about common fraud schemes, according to a post from the Jax Sheriff's Office
The effort aims to help residents spot scams before they lose money, as reported by
News4JAX
.
According to the sheriff's office, the scam began on October 7, when the victim was first contacted by someone pretending to be an employee from the victim's bank fraud department. The caller claimed that a bank employee was under investigation for stealing, laying the groundwork for a scheme that would unfold over the following days.
Wire Transfers and Parking Lot Cash Drops
Posing as that fraud investigator, the scammer directed the victim to wire money to different bank accounts on multiple occasions, including a single transfer of $80,000. The caller also instructed the victim to withdraw cash and hand it to someone so the bills could supposedly be tracked as marked currency — a detail meant to make the scheme sound like a legitimate sting operation rather than theft.
Over the next three days, the victim withdrew $79,000 and handed over cash to different receivers in different parking lots, per the same account from the sheriff's office. In all, the sheriff's office says the victim lost $159,500 to the scam, combining the wired funds with the cash handovers.
A Separate Bank-Impersonation Conviction
A separate bank-impersonation case resulted in a conviction. News4JAX reported that a Jacksonville man faces up to 15 years in Florida State Prison after a jury convicted him.
Other local scams have relied on different disguises entirely. One Jacksonville-area victim told Action News Jax, “I called back, and was told I had missed a jury summons and was subject to massive fines,” after scammers impersonated the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office itself. In that case, the victim was told to go to the store and get several Green Dot cards, with a limit of $500 apiece, according to the same report.
Federal Watchdogs Flag a Growing Threat
The tactic of posing as a bank or government representative to pressure victims into handing over money or personal information is a recognized pattern nationally, according to the FDIC. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has received more than 5,100 complaints reporting account-takeover fraud since January 2025, with losses exceeding $262 million, per the agency's public service announcement.
Consumer warnings caution people about threats and requests to transfer money, withdraw cash or buy gold and hand it to someone.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office officials said their Economic Crimes detectives are working to hold scammers accountable as fraud schemes continue to evolve, according to News4JAX. The sheriff's office has not said whether anyone has been identified or charged in connection with the $159,500 case detailed in this week's post.
