An elderly Florida woman had already withdrawn $18,000 in cash when her husband, a neighbor, and St. Johns County deputies helped stop an alleged courier scam before the money was handed over.
The victim, an 81-year-old Fruit Cove woman, first received a text message from someone claiming to represent a credit card, according to St. Johns Citizen. The message said there was a fraudulent charge on her account.
Investigators said the scammer convinced the woman to allow remote access to her electronic devices while supposedly fixing the problem.
The call then shifted into an overpayment story, with the woman led to believe $20,000 had been placed into her account by mistake instead of $2,000.
The Caller Told Her To Withdraw The Difference
The scammer allegedly told the woman she had to withdraw the $18,000 difference from her own bank account. She was then instructed to give the cash to a courier who would come to her home Wednesday.
The woman followed the instructions and withdrew the money. By the time she returned home, deputies were already waiting because her husband had realized something was wrong.
The husband, also 81, did not have a phone with him. He flagged down a neighbor, borrowed a cellphone, and called 911 while the alleged pickup was still unfolding.
A Man In A Red Shirt Approached The Home
According to the arrest report summarized by St. Johns Citizen, a man wearing a red shirt allegedly approached the home to collect the cash.
When the husband confronted him, another man waiting in a white Chevrolet Silverado drove away, leaving the alleged courier behind. Deputies later found 68-year-old James Lawrence White of Jacksonville walking nearby and questioned him.
Investigators said White initially gave conflicting explanations for why he was in the neighborhood. One explanation was that an Uber driver had dropped him at the wrong address.
Deputies Say He Mentioned Someone Called “The Source”
Investigators later said White admitted he had been recruited by someone he knew only as “The Source.” White allegedly told deputies he was supposed to pick up packages from homes and deliver them to someone else.
He said he earned about $1,000 for each trip, according to the report. He also allegedly told investigators this was only his second delivery.
Deputies recovered $1,100 in $100 bills from White’s wallet. Investigators said that amount was consistent with the payments he claimed to receive for deliveries.
Detectives Are Looking For Others Behind The Scheme
Detectives are still working to identify others behind what deputies described as an organized fraud scheme targeting elderly victims.
The case matches a wider courier-scam pattern that federal officials have warned about. Scammers create a fake banking, tech-support, government, or investment emergency, tell victims to withdraw cash or buy valuables, then send someone in person to collect them.
The FBI has warned that criminals may use government impersonation, tech-support, or family-emergency stories to arrange cash or gold pickups by courier at a victim’s home or another location.
No Real Bank Sends A Courier For Cash
A bank, credit card company, law enforcement agency, or government office will not call unexpectedly, ask for remote access to a device, claim money was overpaid into an account, and send a courier to collect cash from a home.
Anyone who gets that kind of call should hang up, contact the bank or agency through a verified number, and call local police before withdrawing money. Family members can also set a rule with older relatives: no cash pickups, courier deliveries, wire transfers, gift cards, crypto deposits, or remote-access sessions after a surprise call.