Woman victimized by 'bank examiner' scam

Cape Girardeau police are warning residents about a scam artist who used a telephone Monday to convince a woman to hand him a large sum of her money in the Sears parking lot.

The woman, who does not wish to be identified, received a phone call Monday afternoon from a man posing as a bank examiner. He asked her specific questions about her account, including whether she had made a deposit within the last month, said Sgt. Rick Schmidt of the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Though the caller did not mention the woman's bank account number, he told her he believed someone had been stealing from her account and had a plan to catch this person.

The woman was told to withdraw "a large amount of money" from her bank, Schmidt said. The man explained to the woman that this withdrawal would be used to catch the individual stealing her money. But there was no such individual, Schmidt said.

Sears parking lot

The woman met the man at the Sears parking lot, where she gave him the money and was asked to return home.

"This scam is not new," Schmidt said. "We refer to it as the 'bank examiner' scam. If you receive one of these calls, hang up the phone and call the bank back directly. If you can't get through to someone there, then call us and we'll try to find out what's going on."

The woman told police the white male appeared to be "a normal person," Schmidt said.

Police are not sure why this woman was singled out by the suspect, but investigators hope to figure that out soon, Schmidt said.

"That's the scary part of it," he said. "How did they pick this individual out? I hope we find out through the course of the investigation."

The man was described as being in his middle 40s with dark brown hair, which was slightly balding. He was about 5 feet 7 inches tall with a slender build and wore casual clothing.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call Schmidt at 335-6621, extension 1129.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160