A bank employee’s second phone call may have stopped an alleged $30,000 identity theft scheme before the money left a Somerset, Massachusetts, man’s account.
Five people were arrested after police said they tried to withdraw $30,000 from the victim’s account at Rockland Trust Bank on Slades Ferry Avenue. The suspects had allegedly assumed the man’s identity and changed the phone number tied to his account.
That change nearly worked. When bank employees called to verify the withdrawal, police said they initially reached one of the suspects, who allegedly approved the transaction.
The withdrawal was stopped only after employees noticed irregularities and called an older phone number already documented on the account. The real customer said he had not authorized the transaction, and the bank contacted Somerset police.
The Bank’s Second Call Exposed The Alleged Scheme
Five people were arrested in Somerset for their alleged involvement in a bank fraud scheme. https://t.co/hY5zOFkeiz
— NBC 10 WJAR (@NBC10) June 13, 2026
NBC 10 WJAR reported that Somerset officers were called to the bank on Tuesday after employees flagged a woman suspected in a possible check fraud scheme.
According to police, the suspects were trying to withdraw $30,000 after assuming the victim’s identity. Investigators said the phone number on the account had been changed, so the first verification call went to one of the suspects instead of the real customer.
Rockland Trust employees did not rely on that updated number alone. Police said they used a previously documented number, reached the victim, and learned he had not approved the withdrawal.
That detail is the strongest consumer warning in the case. The alleged fraud did not depend only on a fake ID or false check. Police said it also involved account manipulation meant to make a verification call reach the wrong person.
Police Said The Suspect Walked To A Waiting Dodge Durango
According to Fall River Reporter, Somerset police responded to Rockland Trust Bank at 100 Slades Ferry Avenue after a report of a female suspect actively involved in potential check fraud.
Detectives told uniformed officers to stay several blocks away because similar fraud investigations can involve co-conspirators waiting in a vehicle near the target location, the outlet reported.
Police said the female suspect later left the bank, walked west on Slades Ferry Avenue, and entered a white 2026 Dodge Durango with Michigan plates. Officers then stopped the vehicle.
The five people arrested were identified as Kayana Evon-Laurine Powell, 20, of Taunton; Troy Donell Gathers Jr., 23, of Marlborough; Brandon Kevin Williams Jr., 23, of Chelsea; Donnie Earl Smith Jr., 24, of Randolph; and Donnie Earl Smith, 25, of Lowell.
All five were charged with attempt to commit a crime, uttering a false check, and conspiracy, according to NBC 10 WJAR. Police said additional charges are expected after the follow-up investigation is complete.
The Vehicle Search Turned Up Cards, Checks, Cash, And Phones
Police seized the Dodge Durango pending a search warrant. Fall River Reporter said Detective Donald Cormier later obtained the warrant.
Police said the search turned up approximately $1,117 in cash, 15 bank cards bearing other people’s names, nine fraudulent checks, a stun gun, nine cellphones, and a tablet computer. NBC 10 WJAR reported that police also found a computer in the vehicle.
Somerset Police Chief W. George Tedford said the investigation revealed what police described as a coordinated scheme involving identity theft, account manipulation, fraudulent identification, and financial instruments.
The case remains an allegation at this stage. The five defendants have been charged, but police said the investigation is still continuing.
A Changed Phone Number Can Be The Warning Sign
The Somerset case points to a practical account-takeover warning: a changed phone number, address, alert setting, or verification method can matter before money disappears.
USA.gov advises identity theft victims to report the theft through IdentityTheft.gov, contact the fraud departments at banks and other companies where they have accounts, and place fraud alerts or credit freezes with the major credit bureaus.
Bank customers who receive an unexpected verification call, notice a changed phone number, or see account information they did not update should contact the bank directly using the number on the back of a card or the bank’s official website.
In Somerset, police said the bank’s extra verification step kept the alleged $30,000 withdrawal from becoming a completed loss.