A man who was involved in an arrest warrant scam—a prevalent tactic where con artists impersonate law enforcement officials—was taken into custody by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
On August 18, a victim who thought he was being conned reported the incident to FCSO. The victim claims that an unidentified man posing as FCSO called him and informed him that he had an arrest warrant and that he needed to pay $5,000 to avoid going to jail.
Detectives helped the victim get in touch with the fraudster again after they received the report. The victim first resisted the scammer’s instructions to go to a cryptocurrency kiosk and pay with Bitcoin during these exchanges. The con artist then gave the victim instructions to place a cash envelope inside a Palm Coast mailbox on Wellhaven Lane.
Detectives left an empty envelope in the mailbox while they spoke with the scammer. Shortly after, a man who was later identified as Palm Coast resident Tory Harvey, 24, came up to the mailbox, took the envelope, and fled.
Detectives thought the fraudster was someone other than Harvey, and shortly after discovering the package was empty, he started shouting at the victim on the phone. Telling the con artist that he was afraid and believed he was going to be robbed, the victim said he would now place the money in the mailbox.
Detectives brought Harvey into jail when he was observed returning to the mailbox and getting the envelope after their talk.
Detectives found that while Harvey was a part of the scam and spoke with a co-conspirator during the course of the inquiry, he was not the scam’s organizer or the person who was calling the victim. Harvey did not speak to the victim, according to an analysis of his phone’s call logs.
Harvey was taken into custody by detectives for using a two-way communications device illegally and organizing a plot to defraud. After being taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, he was eventually freed after posting a $5,000 bail.
Sheriff Rick Staly stated, “We typically receive reports from victims after they have already been scammed and lost their money, so it’s rare that we can catch scammers in the act.” Our detectives were able to go on the offensive and apprehend the individual attempting to defraud our residents of their hard-earned money by using the Green Roof Inn instead, thanks to the victim’s prompt notification that this was a scam.
No law enforcement agency, including FCSO, will ever call and request money or other personal information in order to clear a warrant or prevent an arrest, Sheriff Staly warns the public.
“I urge our citizens to be on the lookout for scams such as these and to report any possible scams to the Sheriff’s Office,” he said. Scams like this have a number of warning indicators. First off, if someone does in fact have an arrest warrant, we just show up at their house and take them to jail rather than calling them and requesting money, Bitcoin, or gift cards to get it lifted. Therefore, it is undoubtedly fraudulent if you receive a call requesting payment in order to avoid going to jail. Second, it should raise suspicions if someone requests Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. You should end the call and report the fraud as soon as you notice these indicators. I applaud our detectives for apprehending the suspect so soon before the fraud was finished.
Detectives are trying to find more suspects as the investigation continues.
The Sheriff’s Office’s non-emergency line can be reached at 386-313-4911 to report scams.
