Two New York men arrested in a scam sting in Hall County now also face charges in White County. The White County Sheriff’s Office says 23-year old Brandon Massey and 28-year-old Jamal Davis bilked an elderly resident out of $12,000.
It’s the latest in a series of charges leveled against the two men since Hall County deputies arrested them earlier this month. They’re alleged to be part of a scheme in which a caller targets someone and tells them one of their family members, usually a grandchild, is in legal trouble. The caller indicates cash is required to secure bond or pay legal fees for their family member.
Massey and Davis allegedly served as couriers in the scheme, collecting cash from those being scammed most of whom, officials say, were senior citizens,
White County Sheriff Rick Kelley says, in this case, the suspects contacted the victim with confidence and had information that made the victim truly believe they were talking about their family member.
“What made this scam more unique than some of the other scams that we’ve had, and we have had several scams similar to this one, but with this one, they actually sent a courier to the man’s house to pick up money,” he says.
According to the Sheriff, it didn’t take long for the victim to discover he had been scammed.
“He had paid the $12,000 to the courier and then shortly after that had spoken to his granddaughter and realized that it wasn’t her that was on the phone.”
Massey and Davis are charged with exploiting the elderly and theft by deception, both felonies. They’re currently being held in the Hall County Detention Center on similar charges.
White County investigators have been working with surrounding counties to identify victims of this scam operation. In addition to White and Hall Counties, similar incidents have been reported in Walton, Fannin, and Hart counties, with those jurisdictions making arrests.
The FBI and IRS have also joined the investigation tracing the scammer’s base of operations to New Jersey and New York. There are indications the scheme has reached as far west as Nebraska, officials say.
Sheriff Kelley says they often have scam reports and are unable to make an arrest, but they are glad this one yielded some suspects. Authorities urge anyone targeted by this type of scam to contact their local law enforcement agency.
Dean Dyer of WRWH News contributed to this report
