YCSO arrests California man for fraudulent phone scam

Dillon Fuhrman
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) has arrested a California man for a fraudulent phone scam.
According to a press release, YCSO deputies received reports from a financial institution Monday regarding one of their clients falling prey to a fraudulent phone scam.
YCSO says the victim received a call from someone Wednesday, October 9, claiming to represent the bank and falsely claim the victim’s account had been compromised.
The scammer, according to YCSO, then instructed the victim to transfer the funds via Bitcoin and “provide an additional cash payment” to another person. This resulted in a loss of $25,000.
On Tuesday, the scammer contacted the victim to request an additional $50,000. This prompted the victim to call YCSO, with them coordinating with a local bank to stage a mock cash drop to arrest the suspect.
After the suspect, identified as a 37-year-old man from Pomona, California, arrived to collect the money, YCSO says deputies arrested him without incident.
He was then booked into the Yuma County Detention Center for criminal impersonation, attempted theft and fraudulent schemes.
While this is an ongoing investigation, YCSO is reminding the community to stay alert when receiving unsolicited phone calls or messages requesting money or gift cards.