In Kent County, Michigan, a 51-year-old lady from Milford has admitted guilt for her part in a nasty phone fraud that had her requesting sixty grand from an innocent Kent County resident to avoid supposed arrest and prosecution.
The lady, Kari Melissa Morales, drove all the way to Grand Rapids to hand over forged “IRS receipt” and equally fake “FBI WARRANT OF ARREST” hoping to exchange them for the cash spoils she managed to swindle from an accomplice.
Morales got these false documents from her partner-in-crime, a shady character she only knew online and never actually met. This same person directed her to print out the papers and swap them for cash, all in the name of the unsuspecting target. In return, Morales was promised a cut of $2,500 from the total amount for her legwork in the scam.
Authorities noted the audacity of Morales who, during the fraudulent exchange, was armed with a loaded gun in a holster hung snugly around her waist and even flaunted a fake police badge. The badge, it turned out, was purchased and originally belonged to someone else from a different Michigan city.
Quite interestingly, the scam was busted wide open when Morales’ accomplice, posing as someone from the “IRS Fraud Department,” made the blunder of sending a text message to a Federal agent’s cell phone! Imagine their surprise.
Investigators are of the belief that Morales played the role of a “Money Mule” in this scam, the person responsible for receiving fraudulent earnings, keeping a share and passing on the rest to her partner.
After admitting her guilt on Tuesday, the 13th of August, to plotting to commit wire fraud, Morales now stares down the possibility of a twenty-year jail term.
Please remember, legit law enforcement would never request immediate payment to dodge arrest or ask for personal details over the phone.
Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, has issued several cautions and advice about similar phone scams.
For more information on steering clear of and reporting frauds, you might want to check out the Federal Trade Commission website. Complaints can be made on the Attorney General’s website.
