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From The Observer News
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By MELODY JAMESON mj@observernews.net Taken in by sob stories or tempted by “free” services, South County citizens continue to make easy marks for two popular, profitable, well organized criminal scams . And local law enforcement officers now are recommending a specific plan of action for anyone targeted by the thieves. The rip-off that probably has proved to be the most profitable for the criminals has been pulled off successfully, repeatedly in Sun City Center and has been made to work recently in surrounding communities, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s’ Deputy Rob Thornton noted this week. Known colloquially as the “Help Me, Mom” scam, it also is being reported in multiple other counties from Central Florida southward and is reaping untold hundreds of thousands of dollars for the perpetrators, Thornton added.
While a few older men have been taken in, it is mostly older women who are targeted, the deputy said. The crime begins with a daytime telephone call from a male speaking in a low or muffled voice and claiming to be a son, grandson, son-in-law, nephew or whatever relationship fits with information quickly extracted from the unsuspecting older “relative.” The caller then pleads for immediate financial help in cash to settle debts and to avoid the harm to himself or his family being threatened by those he owes. The story could be “gambling” debts, for example, and “bookies” issuing severe physical threats if not paid, Thornton said. When the victim agrees to help, she is given detailed instructions about immediately going to her bank, withdrawing currency – usually in amounts totaling several thousand dollars – and then leaving it at a drop site near a public place for retrieval, frequently on the passenger’s seat of the victim’s car parked near a local restaurant. This simple scenario, which depends on the empathetic concern of a well-intentioned parent or aunt or grandmother anticipated to have substantial financial resources available, has worked for the criminals at least four times in South Hillsborough County in the last three weeks, Thornton added. In one recent incident, a white male described as about five foot, six inches in height with dark short hair and a thin to medium build was witnessed retrieving $3,000 from a victim’s vehicle in Riverview, he said. However, anyone targeted as a potential victim of the “Help Me, Mom” scheme may be able to prevent the crime – and possibly aid in an arrest – using a suggested plan of action, Thornton said. The first step should be calling the young relative purported to be in need of funds to ensure he really is not involved. Law enforcement then is recommending that anyone receiving the scam call actually agree to help, carefully note the drop instructions and go to her bank, appearing to make the necessary withdrawal. All 13 financial institutions and satellites in the greater Sun City Center have been alerted to the scam and equipped with specific information aimed at helping to stop it, the deputy said. Once in her bank, the intended victim should tell a bank official of the call, without making any withdrawal. The bank officer then can go into action, notifying appropriate sections of the sheriff’s office for response. If the intended victim is willing, Thornton said, she can continue to play a role, accepting a package the bank officer will provide, placing it on her car seat, driving to the drop site and parking as instructed. She should exit her vehicle, enter the business establishment and appear to be engaged in doing business “without looking back,” he added. Law enforcement officers will step in as the pick-up is transpiring. “She will not be in any danger,” Thornton emphasized. © 2009 Melody Jameson
It is the unlikely combination of gemstones and termites – or variations on the two — that is driving another organized scam up and down the country’s eastern seaboard, including Florida. In fact, this rip-off again was pulled off successfully in Sun City Center on September 23, allegedly by a known thief identified as Steve Lee, according to Deputy Rob Thornton. It was the most recent in a series of such home invasion robberies that seem to occur every spring and each fall committed by Lee and others like him following a circuit from New York to Texas, Thornton added. This scheme uses the “free for me” carrot to help rope in its victims, the deputy noted, and it usually begins in a large store during heavy traffic times of the day. Most recently, for instance, the Sun City Center resident victimized was shopping in the Publix Super Market at U.S. 301 and S.R. 674 when she was spotted and reportedly targeted by Lee because of the jewelry she was wearing . The store’s surveillance video shows Lee moving up and down the aisles, swiveling as he checked out one female shopper after another, looking for the most expensive gems, Thornton said. Ultimately, he followed his chosen victim from the store, observed her enter her car and then tailed her to her south side SCC home, the deputy added. Frequently, at this point, the thief will approach the homeowner with a story about a neighbor’s termite infestation and an offer to spray for the feared insects at no charge. Everyone almost always accepts the offer, Thornton noted. In the most recent incident, Lee allegedly gained entrance to his target’s home, began rummaging in bedroom dresser drawers and then was accosted by the resident. Following the usual script, when asked to leave, he sprayed her hands with an unknown substance which he described as “acid,” insisted on washing her hands in soapy water and removed two platinum diamond rings. He then left the home, the deputy added. Lee subsequently was arrested in Coral Gables, Florida, but was released there before the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office learned of his capture, could place their charges on him and have him returned to local jurisdiction, Thornton said. Hillsborough has issued a warrant for his arrest on the home invasion robbery charge. Lee, 38, has used several aliases including Charles Anthony John, Bobby “Stretch” Martin, Steven Michael Lee, Daniel Jesus Acuna and simply “Stretch.” He is described as 5 foot, seven inches tall, weighing about 165 pounds with brown hair and eyes. His last known address was in Warren, Michigan. Sometimes described as “Mexican,” Lee actually is part of a gypsy gang that works the U.S. East Coast, Florida and Texas each spring and autumn, pulling off such scams as the pest control scheme, Thornton said. The jewelry stolen from women targeted in stores may be converted to currency outside the U.S., the deputy noted. Thornton advised that anyone seeing Lee or approached with “free” pest control services should call 911 immediately. © 2009 Melody Jameson © Copyright 2008 by The Observer News Publications and M&M Printing |
