Phone Scam Unraveled in Oakland County
An incident has unfolded in Oakland County where a 51-year-old woman from Milford has confessed about her participation in an arrest phone scam. The plot was revealed when her associate accidentally texted a federal agent.
The woman had joined hands in a scheme that tried to extract $60,000 from a Kent County resident. The victim was threatened with arrest and prosecution if they didn’t cough up the amount. This underlines the need to be cautious as real law enforcement and court personnel will never ask for immediate payment over the phone to avoid legal repercussions, neither will they ask for personal details over a call.
The woman, identified as Kari Melissa Morales, had come to Grand Rapids to swap a false “IRS receipt” and a counterfeit “FBI Warrant of Arrest” for the $60,000 cash she successfully received from an associate. The partner was an online accomplice, whom Morales had never met in person. The scoundrel had given Morales the bogus documents and told her to print them, then exchange them for the mentioned cash from the woman named in the forged documents. Morales revealed that she was promised $2,500 for her assistance in the scheme.
In the course of what seemed like an easy exchange, Morales was found with a loaded firearm hitched onto her waistband and a bought police badge, which belonged to another individual, granted by a Michigan State Municipality. Unknowingly, Morales’s partner started the downfall when they texted a number believing it to be their target. The number belonged to a federal agent living in Kent County.
Morales apparently acted as a “Money Mule“, a role usually given to people who are supposed to receive fraudulent proceeds, keep a share, and give the rest to another person involved in the scam. Tuesday, Aug. 13, Morales was found guilty under conspiracy to commit wire fraud. This could potentially lead to a sentence of 20 years behind bars.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has issued various alerts and guidelines about similar phone swindles, reminding citizens to stay cautious and updated. More information on how to avoid such scams and report them can be found on the Federal Trade Commission’s website. Citizens can also register complaints online on the Attorney General’s website.
