A scammer stole $270,000 from a Michigan senior’s pensions after threatening her with arrest — then police found him using Flock cameras

The 70-year-old woman — an unidentified resident of Hazel Park, about 10 miles north of Detroit — received an email in March supposedly from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claiming she was targeted for arrest, according to CBS Detroit.

“They said that there was a car found that had a dead body in it, and there were drugs involved, and her name was attached to it, and her information was in the vehicle,” Detective Chad Jackson of the Hazel Park Police Department told the outlet.

A separate story noted that the scam email told the woman to “call the agent in charge,” which she did. She reportedly learned of the bogus charges against her — money laundering and drug trafficking — and followed the scammer’s instructions to buy gold and hand it over when they visited her home in order to make the charges disappear.

She also obeyed the scammer’s demand to not contact police for fear of being arrested, which led to a second bogus payout that emptied the woman’s pension accounts.

How government impostor scams hook victims

The scammer, not satisfied with the gold, came back for cash. As a result, CBS Detroit reported that the woman “cashed out her and her deceased husband’s pension accounts and, in total, paid the scammer more than $270,000.”

Police said she contacted them when the money wasn’t returned, as she’d been promised. They then began investigating, with CBS noting they utilized footage from community Flock cameras “to track down” and arrest the suspect — a 30-year-old man from Sacramento.

Moneywise reached out to the Hazel Park Police Department for further details about the case and to learn whether the woman’s money was returned, but didn’t immediately hear back.

The case, however, fits a classic pattern of government impersonation scams, as outlined by the FTC where the fraudster portrays a government official, often by phone or email, to warn that “if you don’t pay or give them your personal information, something bad will happen.”

“Scammers claim to be a government officer warning that your Social Security number or some other information is being used to commit a crime such as drug smuggling or money laundering,” the FTC added, almost perfectly describing the Michigan victim’s case.

Stories of such fraud abound, from fake FTC agents who scammed a Connecticut woman out of $900,000 and a Pittsburgh victim out of over $5 million to imposter FBI agents who stole almost $600,000 from a Maryland woman and IRS impersonators conning crypto holders.

Americans over 60 tend to be the preferred prey for cyber fraud scams, with the FBI reporting that the cohort lost $7.7 billion to scammers in 2025 — the most of any age group.

“Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite,” they said. “They also usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit — all of which make them attractive to scammers.”

The bureau added that government impersonation scams were among the five most popular targeting seniors, with the others including investments, tech or customer support, confidence or romance and business email compromise.

“Government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information,” the FTC said. “Only a scammer will do that.”

Still, scams can be convincing, so it’s important to know how to keep fraudsters at bay.

What to do if a scammer comes calling

The FBI says that recognizing elder fraud scams as early as possible and terminating communication with them is key to keeping your money and personal information safe.

They say to take your time and resist the sense of urgency scammers try to create, always be cautious of any unsolicited messages via phone, email, mail or door knockers, never open email attachments from strangers or send them money or personal information.

They also suggest that loved ones choose a shared password to confirm each others’ identities, installing up-to-date virus and malware protection on all devices and immediately shutting down your devices and going offline if strange pop-ups appear on your screens.