Authorities in Chatham County, Georgia, are investigating a sophisticated bank‑fraud phone scam after a woman reported losing more than $76,000 in cash over the course of a single day. The Chatham County Police Department says the victim was first called on February 6 by someone she did not know, claiming her bank account was compromised and instructing her to withdraw her money immediately.
How the scam unfolded
Following the caller’s instructions, the woman withdrew $32,500 from a Truist Bank branch on Wilmington Island and handed the cash to a stranger in the parking lot. She then went to a second Truist branch on East DeRenne Avenue, withdrew $34,000, and gave it to a second person she had never met. Finally, at the Truist branch on Mall Boulevard, she withdrew $10,000 and passed that to a third unknown individual. Those three withdrawals totaled $76,500, which police describe as an apparent fraud scheme rather than a legitimate bank security procedure.
Police warning and context
The Chatham County Police Department notes that it receives reports almost weekly of people who have lost large sums of money after receiving similar phone‑call scams that pressure victims to quickly withdraw or move money. Officials urge the public to never rush to hand over cash to strangers, even if callers claim to be from a bank or law‑enforcement agency, and to verify any such claims directly by calling the bank or police using official numbers, not the ones provided by the caller.
