GRANITE BAY, CA — October 22nd 2025 —“In November 2024, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fraud report in Granite Bay. The victim told us she had been scammed out of more than $120,000 through a series of fraudulent wire transfers.
Our team quickly gathered key information and handed the case over to Detective Kim in our Property Crimes Unit. Detective Kim was able to secure a search warrant for bank records connected to the theft.
Through that warrant, investigators were able to recover $97,000 of the victim’s stolen funds. That money was secured with our evidence unit pending the outcome of the case.
This month, a court order authorized the release of those funds. Detective Kim and our evidence unit were proud to reunite the victim with nearly $100,000 that had been taken from her.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office continues to work hard to prevent scams and fraud – and when possible, to recover lost funds for victims.
🔹 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱:
The victim was contacted by a phone number that appeared to belong to a well-known national bank.
The caller, posing as a representative from the bank’s “Fraud Department,” claimed there was an ongoing investigation into several branches due to increased fraudulent activity, and that the victim’s accounts had been compromised.
To “protect” her funds, the caller instructed her to visit her bank in person and wire her money into new, supposedly secure accounts.
While on the phone with the suspect, the victim unknowingly gave them remote access to her account.
Although she had two-factor authentication enabled, the suspect asked her to read back a verification code “to confirm her identity.” By doing so, the suspect gained full access to her online banking.
To make the ruse more convincing, the suspect read recent transactions from her account, further establishing trust. The suspect then directed the victim to keep the phone line open and turn her screen off while inside the bank.
Following their instructions, she completed two wire transfers at the bank, totaling more than $120,000, believing she was safeguarding her money.
This was a complex and sophisticated scam carried out by very convincing scammers.
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺:
Legitimate banks will never ask you to transfer money to a “safe account” or to read back security codes. If you receive a suspicious call, hang up and contact your bank directly using the number on your card or official website.
