SHAWANO, WI – Local law enforcement is warning residents after a recent scam left a community member out more than $20,000.
Detective Ryan Atkinson with the Shawano Police Department says he recently met with a victim who lost a significant amount of money in a sophisticated scheme. “Met with somebody and unfortunately they were out 20-plus thousand dollars,” Atkinson said, adding that scammers are becoming more calculated in their approach.
Atkinson says these criminals are doing extensive research on their targets and using new tactics to make their schemes more believable. In some cases, victims are instructed to withdraw money and physically hand it over. “They’ll have people fly in from other states and do a hand delivery of the money, and then they fly out immediately,” he said.
Despite attempts by the victim’s bank to recover the funds, Atkinson says the money could not be retrieved. He notes that cases like this are becoming more common and increasingly concerning for law enforcement.
Atkinson reminds residents that neither the IRS nor local police will ever call and demand money, urging anyone who receives a suspicious call to hang up immediately and report it to authorities.
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