Hall County detectives have helped bust up a phone scam that played out in Northeast Georgia and possibly as far west as Nebraska. After protecting an elderly couple from being defrauded in the scheme, investigators are now looking for other potential victims.
The investigation began September 9, after authorities learned the scammers were trying to get $12,000 from an elderly Hall County couple.
The way the scam works is that 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.
Typically, the scammer asks for more than $10,000 and sends one or two “representatives” to the victim’s home to collect the money.
When two alleged collectors showed up at their targets’ home in Hall County, law enforcement was ready.
“After being notified of the fraud in progress, deputies and investigators set up a sting operation at the victim’s residence and apprehended the two men who arrived to get the cash,” says Booth.
During the sting operation, deputies arrested 23-year-old Brandon A. Massey, of Springfield Gardens, New York, and 28-year-old Jamal Clifford Davis of Queens Village, New York.
Booth says Massey drove away when deputies moved in but stopped when they blocked his car with patrol vehicles. They charged Massey with exploitation of an elder person, fleeing/attempting to elude a police officer, obstruction of an officer and reckless driving. Davis was arrested at the residence without incident on a charge of exploitation of an elder person.
“The ongoing HCSO investigation revealed both men were operating out of the Atlanta area,” says Booth.
HCSO detectives began networking the details of the crime to other law enforcement agencies in Georgia. As a result, Booth says authorities in Walton, Fannin and Hart counties identified similar circumstances in their jurisdictions and arrested suspects as they arrived to collect money from elderly victims.
The inquiry deepened when investigators identified a lead scammer who appears to be the caller and coordinator of those who collect the funds. According to initial details, the head scammer’s base of operations is in New Jersey and New York, with indications the scheme has reached as far west as Nebraska, says Booth.
HCSO investigators are now working with the IRS and FBI on the case.
Anyone in Hall County who recently received a similar call to the one described in this case should contact HCSO investigators at (770) 297-4686. If you live outside Hall County and have received such a call, please contact your local authorities.
