On February 1st, 2023, police were called to a bank after a woman attempted to withdraw thousands of dollars from a suspicious check deposit. What started as a routine transaction quickly turned into a fraud investigation when bank employees realized the check might be fake. Pretty sure she did. No, I I already explained to her. So she can leave? Huh? Hi. Hi. So the female in the lobby, the one that's got pink lemonade from the bottle box shop, she got this check for just under $40,000. And she deposited it via phone. This morning, mind you, this was done on the 30th. Right, the 30th or the 31st? 30th. Okay, so like 2 days ago. Monday. Which means the check probably is not going to clear in 2 days, right? So she goes to two ATMs, deposits or withdrawals $1,000 each. She then goes to Kissimmee branch and withdraws $20,000. She then comes here and is wanting to clear out the rest of the account, which is equivalent to what? $17,000. $17,000 and some probably some change. Um they called the bank, obviously because of the large amount of money, to verify whether or not this check is legit. And they said, "No, it's a fraudulent check. They don't have a She is not their client. Um they said they had a a fraud um from their business where a whole bunch of checks were stolen or information. They don't have a check that starts with that account number." But are you sure the phone So they took the information from the check. >> So it looks like they She called the phone Yeah, so I Yeah, so she It was good timing. As you guys were coming in, she was trying to leave. So, I kind of explained to her like, "Ma'am, you know, hey, don't leave just yet." Like She's like, "Well, I've been here a while." I understand that, but just understand that They're trying to withdraw all of their money. >> And usually people call ahead of time, so they're trying to gather whatever they need. Kind of bought us some time. Um and I just told her like, "Ma'am, just hang out for a few more minutes while we try to figure this out." So, I was like "I'm here because one, I'm working for the bank, but two, it's a large amount of money, so we just want to make sure that nothing happens." Obviously, if some nothing happens. So, um But yeah, they called, but as you can see, the memo says settlement proceeds, but the top says payroll checking. So, that's kind of what drew their attention like, is this payroll or is is it a settlement check? But when they called and verified, they're like, "Please, please, please, this is a fraudulent check. We don't have a check that starts in this in this check sequence." Um That's the business that said that or the bank? >> they called they called the business and they talked to somebody and that's how they found out like, "Hey, this check doesn't exist." Um it's it's a fraud. So, she's she seems pretty calm, but I think she's starting to get a little nervous. >> Okay. Um Cuz she was trying to leave and get her money out. >> will be here in a minute. So, we'll we'll just make sure she doesn't go. I have Yeah. Yeah, I was literally just typing reports. >> I didn't know that happened either. Yeah. Yeah, I was actually going to be over Yeah, I was literally I didn't know too. That's my job. That's $19,000. I'm going to lose my job over a yellow I'm sorry. Um have we contacted the owner of the check and see if they want to prosecute? >> Yes. Yeah, that's who they talked to. Do they want to prosecute? And they want to prosecute? >> said that if we do we we can She gave me her email. She's the manager of the law firm. Um and she said we get a report and everything, we can also forward it to them so they can >> Right, but do they do they want to prosecute? >> Yes. I asked her for Yes. Yeah, so as long as we have contact information, all that. >> Yeah, I got you. And I can call her again and get everything from her. We'll get you started on the same in the meantime. Just to kind of have what you told us. Yeah, yeah, sure. That way we can get that settled. Yeah, you got it. We'll just talk with her until you get here and she's already on the Right now, like Do we know Do we know who she is? Yes, she is. Yes, yes, ma'am. Is that the lady? Yeah. Hey, what's So, now the question is whether or not she still has that 20 grand that she deposited or would you from Kissimmee? When did she withdraw it? This This morning? This morning. This morning. Yes, this morning. Bank employees had already contacted the business listed on the check and confirmed it was fraudulent. At this point, officers began delaying the transaction and asked the woman to remain inside the bank while detectives were called to investigate further. And then we're going to We're just We're just detaining you. We're just detaining you right now. You know I'm nervous. We're detaining you until we have more information. Okay. Is that all your stuff? Yeah, I'll bring it with you. I got her ID. Are you done with it? Yeah. Yeah, good. Oh, awesome. Thank you. I hope like I said, I'm hoping She's on the way, so you're not going to be waiting long. So, I'll give you a quick minute to call them. I said you're not going to be waiting long. We're just detaining you. And she's on the way now, so you're not going to be waiting long. Okay. >> Out of here? No, not right now. I'm pregnant. I got to go to my appointment. I'm sorry. There's not Yeah, there's not I can't give you anything out of here right now because there's kind of an investigation going on. You said wait for the detective. I'm not arrested. Probably 10 minutes, 10 minutes. Said I have not If they want to get involved, I'd rather Do you want me to close so you can put the out put the AC and everything? Because I'm not It's It's hot. >> It's hot. So, we have to when the door's closed, the air conditioner will keep it cool. >> It's hot. No, we're just going to use the room to talk to her real quick. After detectives arrived, the woman was advised of her rights and questioned about how she received the check. She claimed the money came from a legal settlement after a car accident, but investigators quickly noticed several inconsistencies in her story. I'm Detective Jackson. I work with the financial crimes unit. Okay. Um before I speak to you today, I'm just going to read you your because you're detained and by law, we have to read you your constitutional rights, okay? All right, you have the right to I'm sorry. Can you come out real quick? Uh sure. Um okay, I'm going to read you your your rights. You have the right to remain silent. Do you understand? Okay, I need you to verbalize. >> Yes or no. Okay. Awesome. Anything you say may be used against you in court. Do you understand? >> Yes. Okay. Have you You have the right to talk to a lawyer before and during questioning. Do you understand? Yes. Do you If you cannot afford a lawyer and want one, one one will be provided for you before questioning without charge. Do you understand? Yes. Has anyone threatened you or promised you anything to get you to talk to me? No. Okay. Um I understand your name is Aisha. Okay. And can you state your date of birth for me, please? Okay. All right. So, Miss So, obviously we're here at Navy Federal Credit Union. Um Tell me how did you get involved into this whole scheme? Excuse me? I was in a wreck. Someone walked up to me. They seen what happened. They're like, "Oh, we seen what happened. I'm a lawyer and I can help you get um you know, right compensation cuz if you try to go through the insurance company, it's not it. It's going to You're not going to get that much." So, I was like, "Okay, I trust you." We talked about it, went to the the office. I think it was Lipton. And that was it. It didn't seem like anything. And I'm in handcuffs now, so I'm a little worried. How long ago was this? Um about December. Um right before Christmas. Okay. I took a little trip. So, from my understanding, you got into a car accident. When was this? The car accident was about right before Christmas. Um in December. I'm going to look at my calendar. I'll say at least 4 or 5 days before Christmas. And he said he saw it. He's the lawyer and he can help me get paid. Did he give you a business card or name? Just his name. What was his >> But not a business card. Okay. You remember the name? It was like a John John Okay. And how would you describe his gentleman? Very sweet. Um I figure an American. About middle age. Dressed real nice. Uh where was this crash take place? I don't know the street name. Huh? I don't know the street name. Cuz I'm not from there. I'm from North Carolina originally. Okay. Did you live here in Florida? Mhm. I've been here about 5 years. What part? Here Orlando right down the street. Okay. So where did where did your crash occur? Maybe not the road but what city? It was in [ __ ] I don't know the city. I just know it was Michigan. I just really don't know the city. I was using Waze. Okay. Did you have a police report? What about the >> up and was saying that he could get it done. He didn't you know that he saw a verbal witness. He's like my lawyer I I saw. So what happened at the time? With the accident? >> Mhm. I was going straight. Um God I really hate these streets. I was going straight. Um I had the right away. It was a green light. The car turned and hit me um in my Chevy. It's a 2015 Chevy. It hit me from the left side. And I was like oh my back hurts my neck hurts. He's like that's perfect. That's all we need. And he's going to do all the communication everything for me. I didn't have to do anything. Like he made it seem like I was trusting him to get me you know finances for my injury. And you trusted him? I did. Did you give him your information? What information did you provide? I gave him he needed my social my name, my date of birth, my address. And um he asked me if I had a Navy Federal and credit account number and I I did provide that to him. Why did he ask you that? I thought him as a lawyer he just needed it. I don't Okay. >> [clears throat] >> How long you've been a member with Navy Federal Credit Union? Oof. Um since 2000 19. Mhm. 18 19. How many accounts would you say you have? Uh two debits and I have a credit a secured credit card. And I have a savings. Mhm. Okay. What do you do for a living? I work at Progressive. I'm a customer service rep. Progressive Insurance? Okay, so you typically know how accidents work. I don't do claims. You don't do claims? >> I just help them get a policy or change coverages and take payments. Okay. Okay. Um about roughly how much you make there? Um I make $21 an hour. Mhm. About 16 every 2 weeks. Like 16 17 every 2 weeks. Mhm. How long you've been with Progressive? Uh for a year and some change. Year and a half. Okay. Okay. Um so tell me what happened today. Like what what have you been doing today? Oh, today I picked up my niece. Um we were going to get some nail appointment and she needed to get her I'm having a maternity photo shoot Thursday. So we're going to get our eyelashes and Is that your due date or something? Mhm. Okay. Um she's due soon. She's 3 cm. Um Yeah, so we we were already up in Kissimmee. We saw that the amount had cleared and I went ahead and took out 20,000. And then she was like, "Let's do some TikTok videos. Uh let's get the rest of the money out so that we flashing. So, I came here which is like really 5 minutes from the house um to get the rest out to, you know, flash on camera. And then this happened. That's pretty much my day. So, how was this check given to you? It was sent in the mail. It was sent in the mail. Okay. Did you deposit it into your account? Mobile deposit. You did the mobile deposit into your account. Okay. Um So, when you received it, when did you receive the check? The 30th. About 2 days ago. Okay. About 2 days ago. Okay. Do you have any settlement paperwork from the accident? No. You just received the check in the mail. Have you been in communication with this guy? Not recently. See. And this was a leap of faith. Since December, I haven't heard anything and then here comes a check in the mail. Did you receive any medical treatment for anything from the accident? No. And just you received a check in the mail and you thought that it was legit. He looked Yeah, I didn't think anything was wrong with it and then it cleared after being on hold, so I thought it was okay. Okay. Well, Ms. Adams, I'm going to be completely honest with you. Okay. I investigate a lot of these cases and I know for sure what you're telling me is not the complete truth. And what I'm doing right now is giving you the opportunity to be truthful um because I believe that you're not the only one involved in this situation. Okay? Um I can give you the facts, but I think you know the facts. As the interview continued, detectives pressed her for the truth. They explained that the check was fake and suggested the situation might be part of a larger fraud scheme giving her an opportunity to reveal who else may have been involved. I think it's not clear. What if it I just want to give it back and wait for it to be clear. I didn't realize I didn't know I had to call in and get them to clear the the money to come out or anything like that. I just saw the funds and I was like, "Okay, let's get it out." But I didn't know all of this was going to happen. So, if I could please just give it all back and then wait for them to say that it's clear. I would I would really do that. Cuz this is scary. I'm being honest. Well, if I'm being honest with you, um yeah, all of this is scary and it is um quite suspicious. Okay? Um Does this look familiar to you? What I'm showing you is a copy of the check that you deposited into your account. Does this look familiar? Yeah. Do you still have the copy of this? Let me look. Yes. Do you still have the copy? Mhm. I didn't throw it out. Did you look up this law firm? I Googled it and it came back. That's what made me trust it, too. It came back to It just said Liftem Law. Like it had a website? >> And like in reviews. But he didn't give you a business card. So, how do you know that there could be 20 Liftem Laws around here? 20 20 Liftem Law Just too naive and trusting. I'm not I don't have a business card and I do Tik Tok business pretty well. Well, I'mma tell you what really doesn't sound truthful. You meeting someone in accident that did not go reported. Okay? You giving your personal information to someone and then they're asking you if you have a Navy Federal account. And then all of a sudden a month later you receive a check in the mail. Settlement checks usually don't go that fast. Like they're not trying to like, you know, hit See, now that I'm in court, so I really feel like, okay, maybe But at the time it just it all really seemed like [ __ ] Like I didn't And then once the hole went through, I really didn't think anything of it. Like the hole went through, the bank verified the funds, so I just came in today. Yeah, it's it's an account, but it's not an account You're You're not even We call Liftin Law. You're not even a customer or a client of them. They don't even know me. He said he was a lawyer. I don't know why I trusted him. Like he's just been online information. I'm just sitting up in here causing various damages for the first time ever. I mean, you seem like a very nice young lady who doesn't seem to be getting wrapped up into this. My question is I wouldn't not I knew that it was going to Did someone approach you about making money? >> approach me about They saw what happened. They saw the accident. Yeah, but you didn't report it to the police. Is your car damaged? Did you report those damages? Why not? Cuz he said if you settle, you don't have to do all that. Like that's why you settle, so that person doesn't have to But you have no evidence. There's no report. >> no evidence. There's no report that's generated to prove that you were in the accident. >> normal like you can do settlements outside of all that and it's okay. All I'm just asking I'm I'm you an opportunity to tell me who else is involved in this cuz I don't believe you did this all by yourself. What did you get from the person? I mean, you can help yourself in this situation. You can tell me who else is involved cuz I know it's not just you. Like I said, I investigate these cases a lot. I know, so it looks suspect. I'm a black woman. I got locks in my head. Like it just looks bad, but I swear I did not know that I was going to get blamed. >> that that because I I look just like you. I don't look like they don't I'm telling you from my experience what I have investigated and it's many people from all walks of life. And what I'm trying to convey to you is that this is a part of a whole scheme. And we get this all the time. So, you can be truthful or you're going to take the fall for whatever charges that is going to be placed upon you. Cuz this check is not a legit check. It's a fraudulent check. Did you create the check? Do you know who created the check? I was thinking it was really Linton Law. Linton Law from Missouri? I really thought it was them. Okay. Well, when you went up to the teller, you told them it was for What did you tell them it was? That the check was for? This teller? He didn't even ask me. He didn't ask you? No, he said they have to check if they have the funds and the manager and then went to the back and then they told me to sit down. >> But you went to Kissimmee? Kissimmee, yeah. >> And you withdrew the 20,000. Okay. What did you tell the Kissimmee teller? Cuz he asked was it from a car selling and I said yes. Okay. Yes, but the check also says payroll. I didn't even look at So, you didn't even look at the check. >> Look cool cuz I'm thinking bad checks are just going to clear. Like this thing went through. How's it going to think that I'm involved in something bad? Like it went through. It was on hold. I got an email. It was confirmed instantly. All of that. Does anyone else have access to your account? Yeah, it was Who was he? A guy. What's his name? The real guy. What's his name? The real guy who has access to your stuff to your stuff. Who put you up to this? They say it's John Lipton. Hm? It's John Lipton. The real person who put you up to this. So, John Lipton created your account. That's who met me. And And he has access to your account? How? I gave him the information. What information did you give him? Everything he asked for. But he didn't deposit the check into your account. Why Why would he He has access to your account. Why would he mail it if he could just deposit it into your account if he has access? That doesn't make sense, does it? My account was um closed and tomorrow opened because someone logged into it. So, I'm guessing that's why he decided to send the check out. Okay. This this not does not look good for you. I'm trying to get you to kind of help yourself in this situation. We have access to a lot of things. And what you're telling Let just don't match match up. This account that you have, you opened it just a few days ago. Cuz my other one got closed because of the login. Someone logged into my account from a fraud device. Did you report it? Did you report it? >> on the phone. And they gave you those two new accounts? >> Well, I was it reported for fraudulent activity. The device that signed onto my phone was a fraud device. That's what the lady told me on the phone. She said it was a it was blocked as a fraud device. So, they had to close my two accounts down and give me two new account numbers. In the end, the check was confirmed to be fraudulent. She was charged with fraud-related offenses and later received probation after cooperating with investigators.