Florida woman scammed out of $8K tracks down suspect

A Florida woman is warning others after she said scammers pretending to be bank employees coerced her into withdrawing $8,000 in cash, but deputies say her quick thinking led to an arrest.

“I have never been more scared in my life. It was one of the most frightening things,” said Noel, 74, who spoke exclusively with Hearst sister station WESH.

Noel said the hourslong ordeal began Wednesday with a text message.

“I got a text that said Wells Fargo (and) that I just Zelled somebody $1,600, and they say do a ‘Y’ for yes or an ‘N’ for no. And I did an ‘N,’ and then all of a sudden my phone rings, and (the caller ID) says Wells Fargo,” she said.

The caller then began issuing instructions and warnings.

“When he told me I was under investigation, I got scared,” Noel said. “‘Don’t talk to anybody. Don’t tell anybody. I’ll stay on the phone with you.’ And he just went on and on.”

Noel said the caller, who had a foreign accent, directed her to withdraw the money from the bank and put the cash in a box.

“They said, ‘Make sure you tape it up,’ and ‘Make sure to do this,'” she said.

She was then told to hand the package over to a man at a shopping plaza, who deputies later learned was an Uber courier.

“She had the wherewithal to automatically get the tag number of the Uber driver, and then a couple of minutes go by, she said, ‘I better call police,'” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

According to the arrest report, deputies tracked down the Uber driver, who told them he was hired to deliver the package and left it with an unknown woman at a business park off North Orchard Street. Using video from nearby surveillance cameras, investigators were able to get a shot of the license plate of the car the suspect was riding in and track her down.

Deputies arrested 25-year-old Amoye Jameison, who faces charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, according to the arrest report. She was also cited for driving without a license.

According to the report, Jameison told deputies “she was instructed to take the $8,000 in cash from the Uber driver, keep $1,200 for herself and Zelle the rest” to another suspect who investigators identified but have not yet arrested. She also told deputies “she has done this approximately 10 times,” the report states.

“The investigation is continuing because, you know the old expression, it’s not the first time you’ve done this when you get caught. You’ve done it other times, so we’ll see where that leads,” Chitwood said.

Noel said there were several times she questioned what she was doing but was consumed by fear.

“They kept saying, ‘There’s cameras. We’re following you,'” she said.

She wants to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

“I think I’m a strong woman. I always felt I was a strong woman. How could you have psyched me out? How could you have done that to me?” Noel said.

Deputies say Jameison still had the stolen cash when she was arrested, so Noel will be getting her money back soon.

Chitwood offered advice to help others avoid falling victim to similar scams.

“No financial institution asks you to withdraw cash. No law enforcement agency tells you there’s a warrant for your arrest, or you missed jury duty and you have to pay money. That’s not how it works,” he said. “The best defense, again, is don’t answer your phone. If you don’t know the number, don’t answer it.”

As of Friday night, Jameison, who is from Jamaica, remained in the Volusia County, Florida, jail. Because she overstayed her visa, Chitwood said, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also placed a detainer on her.