SEQUIM, Wash. — A 25-year-old woman has been arrested in a sting operation after deputies say she stole $125,000 from a 71-year-old in an elaborate scam.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office started their investigation around March 2, when the 71-year-old woman called dispatch to report that she had been scammed. She told deputies that she was contacted by a man who said he was from the Amazon Fraud Department. That man then put her on the phone with someone who claimed they were an “agent” with the Federal Trade Commission and that the woman was a suspect in a money laundering operation.
The “agent” told her to prove her innocence, and she was asked to provide tens of thousands of dollars in cash to the “Federal Trade Commission.” The “agent” asked her to buy a lockbox, put the money inside, wrap it in duct tape and deliver it to the agent who would be sitting in a vehicle in Sequim.
She met with the “agent” three separate times and hand-delivered money totaling $125,000. The “agent” implied each time that her phone was tapped and he could always hear her
“This was an extremely well-organized and complex scam involving multiple suspects who controlled the victim through fear by threatening and lying to her. Thankfully the victim’s bank manager alerted her that she was being scammed, which led to this investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.
In a sting operation, law enforcement communicated with the suspects on behalf of the victim.
Deputies told the woman to go forward with another drop off, and she did. When that drop-off went down, police arrested a 25-year-old.
She was interviewed and booked into the Clallam County Jail for second-degree extortion and first-degree attempted theft.
This investigation is ongoing as there are multiple suspects involved in this scam.
©2025 Cox Media Group
