DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Dickson County Sheriff's Office is warning residents after an elderly woman lost approximately $40,000 to a scam.

Investigators said the the woman received emails from what she believed to be PayPal on April 24 and 25, indicating a payment discrepancy.

According to the sheriff's office, the woman called the number on the email, which was then redirected to a location in India.

Officials shared some of the conversation between the victim and scammer during another phone call.

"We have to take it back from you, that's what I'm telling you. Your bank and our bank is connected. Our payment is going to your account," said the man on the other end of the call.

The man was reportedly able to look into the woman's financial data after she was convinced to download an app. Detectives said the scammers were then able to move money from one of her accounts to another one of her accounts.

After telling the woman that PayPal accidentally sent her bank account an excess amount of money, the scammers demanded that she take $40,000 out of her account to pay it back.

"They had her download an app on her mobile device, AnyDesk is the app they had her download, and with that app they gain remote access to your phone and anything on your phone, which in this case was her banking info," said DCSO Captain Jennifer Caruthers.

The victim reportedly withdrew the money from her bank and sent it to the scammers via a Crypto machine at a local market.

Officials said the scammers called the woman the following day for more money. However, this time deputies were listening in on the conversation.

"I already sent you the money; I'm not following," said the victim on the call.

"Yes, I know that you have sent the money. You got a confirmation too," replied the person on the other end of the call.

"They continued calling because when they had access to her bank account through that mobile app, they realized there were more funds available," explained Caruthers.

The sheriff's office said they set up a sting operation after the victim refused to send more money, which led to the arrest of Roshandice McCullough of Texas.

According to investigators, McCullough was sent by the scammers as a courier to meet the victim at her bank.

"It's an active investigation, hoping it will lead to someone above her and someone above them," said Caruthers. "There will be other countries involved; there will be other states involved."

McCollough has yet to speak with investigators. However, authorities told News 2 that she was arrested in Killeen, Texas for similar charges, adding that Texas officials want to prosecute her as soon as her court case is done in Dickson County.

The Dickson County woman has not recovered her $40,000, according to deputies.

"Do not pay anyone over a phone, don't go to a Bitcoin machine and make a large transaction like this, 9 times out of 10 it is a fraudulent charge," warned Caruthers.

McCollough was booked in Dickson County Jail and charged with theft over $10,000.

Experts say to avoid falling victim to a scam, always log into your PayPal account directly through the website and do not click on links or numbers, which can be fake.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/dickson-county-woman-loses-thousands-to-paypal-scam-deputies-say/