In an apparent fear-based extortion tactic, a scammer impersonated a U.S. Marshal agent to tell a Bluffton man his financials were connected to a cocaine bust at the U.S.-Mexico border, police say.
The 82-year-old man came to the Bluffton Police Department on May 20, saying he had gotten a voicemail that claimed he had been charged $1,499 for a MacBook, according to a police report. The voicemail said he should call the number back to dispute the charge, he reportedly told an officer.
The man told police he dialed the number and was transferred to a man who claimed to be “Adam Peterson,” a U.S. Marshal based in San Antonio. The claimed the man’s bank account was connected to a truck found at the southern border “with 22 pounds of cocaine in it,” the report says…