March 27, 2024

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio

Fraud: Byron Boulevard

A resident went to the police station at 12:15 p.m. March 3 about a Facebook scam that got the best of her. She said a woman named Gabrielle had contacted her on Facebook Messenger and explained rules to a contest and possible prizes.

The resident decided to enter the $100 contest to win a possible $1,500 prize. She sent money via PayPal to an email address and expected to get her payment.

Gabrielle contacted her again and said there was now a payment to raise the prize to $2,400 if she sent $400. The victim told the woman she only had $200 left on her account. After some conversation, the victim was convinced to send $400 through another online pay system to a man. She would then need to pay an “agent fee” of $200 to another email to process her payment.

She again sent a payment and waited to receive her prize money into her PayPal account. Gabrielle again contacted the victim and said the $2,400 prize was no longer available, but a $5,700 was if she sent another $500.

The victim sent $500 to a different email and expected her winnings to go into her PayPal account. However, she was told her account would not accept the payment. She was asked for her bank account and routing numbers so that the payment would be sent there.

The victim not only did that, but provided her password and username, as well as security questions and PIN number.

The victim then noticed a $900 unauthorized transaction that her bank had denied. She…

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