Scammers bilked an 80-year-old man in Irvine, California, of $25,000 after posing as federal agents and warning him about a suspicious charge, multiple news outlets report.
The scammers impersonated Apple in a text message warning him of the bogus charge — first posing as an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, then as Irvine’s police chief, authorities said.
The scammers told him that he must pay a $25,000 fine to resolve a stolen identity case in which his name was used to buy illegal drugs and firearms, authorities said.
The man disregarded the initial text but heeded the second, in which the scammers spoofed the Irvine Police Department’s phone number to appear legitimate. They kept the victim on the phone for hours until he withdrew the cash from his bank.
The victim placed the money in a duct-taped shoebox and handed it to a stranger in a shopping center parking lot.
Irvine police Officer Ziggy Azarcon said investigators are reviewing surveillance footage, but retrieving the money could prove difficult.
Police remind the public that officers will never call and demand money and anyone receiving that type of call should hang up and contact them directly.
