DANVILLE, IN – Investigators with the Danville Metropolitan Police Department and Pittsboro Police Department are working together to identify suspects involved in an elaborate fraud scheme that has cost Danville and Pittsboro residents over $5000 in just three known cases. Both departments believe there may be additional victims that have not come forward and also believe that the scammers will continue targeting residents in this area.
In all three cases, the victims were contacted over the phone and the number showed that it was from their local bank. The scammer advised that they were with the bank’s fraud unit and wanted to advise the victim that they may have fraudulent activity occurring on their account. As they talked over the phone, the scammer advised that it appeared that someone was currently trying to open an Apple Pay account and the scammer asked if the victim had been sent an Apple access code via text message to their phone. When the victim stated that they had, the scammer advised that they needed the victim to give them the code to stop the fraudulent transaction and to avoid additional funds being stolen from the account. The victim provided the code, and the scammer advised that the bank took care of the fraudulent transaction and advised the victim that they did not need to notify the bank if additional charges occurred, because they were working on the account and they would be refunded any lost funds once they were completed. This entire exchange was an elaborate scheme and in no way involved a legitimate financial institution. The scammers then utilized the Apple Pay accounts to purchase gift cards and other items from various locations across the north east side of Indianapolis.
If you have any information regarding the suspects in the surveillance images, you’re asked to contact our 24-hour 100% anonymous crime-tip line at (317) 745-3001, or by contacting Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 (TIPS).
REMINDER! ALL suspects are innocent until PROVEN guilty in a court of law.
