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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bank Examiner Scheme Hits Elderly

From Staff And Wire Reports

Thieves posing as bank examiners and detectives are running a scheme to bilk the elderly in Spokane, police said.

Four cases have been reported to police in the last two weeks. Last June, thieves running a similar scheme stole about $18,000 from an elderly couple.

The recent calls are from a man who claims to be with either the Police Department or the intended victim’s bank.

In one case, the caller said a teller is suspected of stealing money from the victim’s accounts. The caller asked the elderly woman to withdraw several thousand dollars so he could use the money to bait the thieving teller.

The woman turned over $7,600 in cash to a man described as white, about 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 160 pounds. He had brown, graying hair, glasses and a mustache, police said.

Police are reminding residents that law enforcement agencies and legitimate businesses never ask customers to provide their own money for investigations.

Anyone receiving such a call should press *69 on their phone, write down the caller’s number and call Crime Check at 456-2233.

, DataTimes