Man posing as police scams Coweta County elder out of thousands

SENOIA, Ga. - Coweta County officials are warning the public about an imposter posing as a police officer and scamming an elderly victim out of thousands of dollars. This marks the third time in less than a month a senior citizen has fallen victim.

Senoia police say it's time to have a serious talk with any senior citizens in your life. Three separate scams targeting senior citizens in the last month have all been successful.

In one of the scams, a man identified himself as a sergeant with the Coweta Sheriff’s Office.

He reportedly told the 68-year-old Coweta County victim that he had a federal warrant for his arrest, and told him to drive to a Kroger in Coweta County.

The man then ordered the victim not to hang up the phone, or he would be arrested on the spot.

The victim was directed to deposit $3,600 in a Bitcoin machine. And he did, not just once, but twice. The alleged con artist told him the first transaction did not go through.

How to protect elders in your life from phone scams

Senoia Police Capt. Jason Ercole has issued this advice and warning:

"First off, if you have an elderly friend or relative or neighbor, after this, go talk to them and make them aware of this scam. These scams have hit three people in Senoia alone in just the last month. I think we are close to $18,000 that these residents have lost in total. So, as soon as you’re done watching this story, call neighbors, call your family members and make them aware of this scam and what to do."

ILLUSTRATION - 10 March 2021, North Rhine-Westphalia, Essen (Photo by Roland Weihrauch/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Police say a phone scam like this one can usually be foiled if the potential victim just makes one phone call to someone they know, like a relative, friend or law enforcement.

Remember, law enforcement will never ask you to make a deposit of any kind – Not bitcoin, not a gift card and not a wire transfer.