SANTA ROSA, CA — “On July 1, 2025, a 74-year-old resident of Santa Rosa reported to SRPD that she had possibly been scammed out of $43,000. She reported receiving a pop-up notification on her iPad advising her to contact her service provider’s security center and was provided with a phone number. The victim called the number and a man posing as a security agent advised her that her bank accounts were compromised, then transferred her to another person, claiming that person was employed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
When speaking with the man impersonating an FTC officer, the victim was instructed to withdraw several thousands of dollars in cash from her bank account that would eventually be used to ‘recover her account.’ She was told once the account was recovered, the money would be returned.
The victim went to her bank and remained on the phone with the FTC imposter, who was likely advising her that the bank employees were taking part in the scam and would try to dissuade her from withdrawing the funds. The money was later picked up at the victim’s home by an ‘undercover agent’ of the FTC…