80-year-old man loses $25,000 after scammers spoof Irvine PD's phone number
IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- Irvine police are warning residents about a phone-spoofing scam after an 80-year-old man was tricked into withdrawing $25,000 in cash and handing it to a stranger in a parking lot.
The man's family said the scam began less than two weeks ago with a text message claiming to be from Apple, alerting him to a suspicious Apple Pay charge and urging him to call a phone number. His son, who asked to remain anonymous because the family's personal data was compromised, said the experience has shaken his father.
"Just lack of trust right now, and a little bit of paranoia," he said.
According to the family, the victim called the number and was told his identity had been stolen and used to buy illegal drugs and firearms.
"They transferred him to somebody who was from Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He used an officer's name that has a LinkedIn profile, and he's actually an associate director at ATF," the son said.
Police said the man eventually hung up, but the phone rang again -- this time displaying the Irvine Police Department's real 949 number. Officer Ziggy Azarcon said the scammer claimed to be the city's police chief and told the victim he needed to cooperate with federal authorities.
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"Encouraging the victim to cooperate with the ATF, paying a $25,000 fine in order to clear this case from him," Azarcon said.
While staying on the phone with the scammer for hours, the man withdrew $25,000 from his bank, placed the cash in a shoebox wrapped in duct tape and drove to an Irvine shopping center parking lot, where he handed it to a stranger. Azarcon said investigators are working to identify the courier.
"This could be as innocent as an Uber driver picking up a delivery. What's not uncommon is many times, the courier will send it to another courier, and then four other couriers later, it finally reaches its destination, which generally isn't even here in the United States," he said.
So far, no arrests have been made. Police are reviewing surveillance footage and analyzing the victim's communications with the suspects, but Azarcon said the likelihood of recovering the money is slim.
"It's very difficult in this case," he said.
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The victim's son urged others to talk to older relatives about scams. Although the red flags may be clear to some, the most vulnerable in our community continue to be targeted.
"People are taking advantage of the elderly in this manner. They should be brought to justice," he said.
Police reminded the public that officers will never call to demand money. They advised anyone who receives a suspicious call to hang up and contact the agency or company directly using the official phone number listed on its website. Anyone targeted by a similar scam should report it to police and their bank immediately.
