BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today that investigators with his Consumer Protection Division intervened in a scam-in-progress and prevented a victim from losing $14,000 in cash to criminals in Florida.

Criminal scammers contacted the would-be victim posing as a Wells Fargo financial investigator, claiming the victim’s bank account was compromised. The scammer convinced the victim to withdraw the money in his account and send it overnight mail via UPS to an address in Florida for “safekeeping.” After mailing the cash, the victim called the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division and spoke with an investigator, who immediately leveraged a growing nationwide fraud prevention network of professionals, which include law enforcement, financial services, consumer advocates, and retail professionals. Working with UPS, the investigator was able to stop the package in transit and coordinate the return of the entire sum to the victim.  
 
“I’m grateful for the quick action of my investigators at the Consumer Protection Division,” said Attorney General Labrador. “They work hard to protect Idaho families from scams every day through education and awareness, but it’s rare to stop a crime in progress, especially of this magnitude. It’s always easier to prevent a scam than it is to financially recover from one.”

The Consumer Protection Division also followed up with Wells Fargo, as well as the Florida Attorney General’s Office for a continued investigation into the final destination for the package.

The Attorney General’s Office reminds consumers to always verify the identity of anyone claiming to be from banks and financial institutions, from law enforcement or courts, or from a public utility, especially when they are demanding a payment or transfer of funds while claiming to protect you. Never give out personal information, never click on unknown text or email links, and being asked to pay with cryptocurrency, gift cards, money orders, or mailing large amounts of cash are always big red flags for fraud.  

Visit ReportScamsIdaho.com for more scam prevention tips, resources, or to file a consumer complaint.