EDMONDS, Wash. — The Edmonds Police Department (EPD) is investigating a “sophisticated scam” in which fraudsters impersonate representatives from Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission to take large sums of cash from victims.
According to police, the scammers contact victims electronically with false claims that their accounts are involved in illegal activity and direct them to hand over cash to individuals in public places.
Police say the scammers initiate contact through emails or computer pop-up notifications warning victims that their bank accounts and identities have been compromised. The notifications claim the information is tied to illegal activities such as child pornography, gun trafficking, and dark web operations. The messages provide a telephone number for victims to call to resolve the issue.
When victims call the number, individuals initially claim to be from Microsoft. Callers transfer victims through multiple representatives before ending with someone claiming to be an agent from the Federal Trade Commission.
The impersonators then instruct victims to withdraw large amounts of cash from their bank accounts. EPD says victims are directed to package the cash, following precise instructions, take photos of the package and money, and send those images to the suspects.
To collect the funds, scammers direct victims to meet a designated individual in a public place, typically a busy parking lot. In some instances, fraudsters provide a specific code word for the victim to give the person picking up the money to confirm their identity.
Suspects claim the money will be kept safe in a vault during the investigation and occasionally tell victims they will earn interest on the funds.
EPD says scammers also tell victims not to discuss the matter with family members, claiming that doing so would implicate their relatives in the federal investigation. Scammers repeat the pattern across multiple transactions until victims discover the fraud.
EPD advises people, particularly seniors, to remain cautious and call 911 if they suspect fraudulent activity.