It’s the holiday season, and thieves are hard at work right now, trying to scam Metro Detroiters out of thousands of dollars.
Some of the culprits are using voice technology to trick some victims.
“For days and days, I couldn’t sleep,” said Mandana Lezgi. “And I’m scared.”
There’s a big reason Lezgi was urging community members to be on high alert. She nearly fell victim to a money scam.
“They are very good actors,” Lezgi said. “They made me think I am involved with a federal investigation.”
The Wayne County resident said the problem started after receiving high-pressure phone calls and an email from someone identifying themselves as a federal agent.
“All the time, they were talking to me, not allowing me to think,” Lezgi said.
She told Wayne County Sheriff’s Office investigators the scammers threatened her with arrest if she didn’t transfer thousands of dollars in cash from her bank account.
Her gut told her something wasn’t right. However, Lezgi said the tactics the strangers used on the phone left her vulnerable and afraid.
“In that situation, they have a good amount of my information that convinced me that they are legit,” Lezgi said.
It is a scamming scenario the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office knows all too well.
“These are very professional people,” said Sheriff Raphael Washington. “They can fool you, our citizens, and we have to put a stop to it.”
Washington said his team is investigating similar complaints. He said, in some cases, the culprits are spoofing law enforcement phone numbers.
The Sheriff said scammers are also using Artificial Intelligence voice-altering technology to throw off some victims.
“They use our names as this is Sheriff Washington calling you,” Washington said. “You have a warrant. Or whatever it is, you need to bring this money to a certain location.”
For now, investigators and victims are urging people to be vigilant, especially during the holiday season.
“It’s very important that I let the citizens know that law enforcement, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and other law enforcement agencies will never, ever call a citizen on the phone to tell them you have to take money somewhere to fix your case,” Washington said.