Crime & Safety
Fraud in the Parking Lot: Watch Out for the Con Artists
Two cases of fraud recently took place in the parking lot of the Montrose Crossing Shopping Center.
By Laura L Thornton
Two cases of fraud were reported in the parking lot of North Bethesda's Montrose Crossing Shopping Center, according to a Montgomery County police.
Shortly after 6 p.m. on July 26 in the parking lot of the Giant grocery store at 12051 Rockville Pike, a man and a woman convinced a 68-year-old woman to withdraw $1,700 from her bank account. They said that they could invest the money and make her $400,000, according to police.
She withdrew the money from the Bank of America at 12099 Rockville Pike, gave it to the man and woman and never saw them again, police reported.
Police described the man as black, 6-foot tall and 30 to 35 years old, wearing a white button-down shirt and brown pants. Police said the woman was black and of short stature. She was wearing capri-style pants.
The other case of fraud at the Montrose Crossing Shopping Center was reported Aug. 6. In the parking lot of the same Bank of America, two males approached a 77-year-old man, showed him what appeared to be a large amount of cash, stated that they did not trust banks, and convinced the man to withdraw $10,000 from a SunTrust bank in Bethesda, police said.
After the victim withdrew the money, the males convinced him to give them the money, saying that they were going to go get food. They never returned, police said.
Police described one of the males as a 5-foot, 9-inch-tall black man, 40 to 45 years old, with a Jamaican accent and wearing a brown jacket and hat. Police described the second male as a black man about 6 feet tall with short hair and wearing a white shirt.
Police say that people who engage in these fraud schemes—often referred to as confidence games or confidence schemes—are smart, persuasive and aggressive.
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See something, say something
If you believe that you may have been a victim or that you have information regarding these suspects, please call the Montgomery County Police Department's Financial Crimes Section at 240-773-6330. To remain anonymous, call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, toll-free, at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or leave a Crime Solvers tip online.
Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest or indictment for this crime.
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