Crime & Safety

Swindlers at Seven Corners Walk Away with $9,000 in Scam

Residents in two separate incidents swindled by men who approached them at Home Depot parking lots.

Fairfax County Police detectives are warning residents about a regional scam in Northern Virginia that involves fraudulent financial interactions taking place in public parking lots.

On Monday, a 30-year-old man was approached in a parking lot at the Seven Corners Home Depot at around 3 p.m. The suspect asked the victim for a ride into Washington, D.C. and showed him large amounts of cash. The victim agreed to give him a ride and they engaged in lengthy discussions during the drive. The suspect convinced the victim to withdraw money from an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) and, after discussions concerning the safety of U.S. banking institutions and “trust” the suspect walked away with $9,000 that the victim had given him.

On Tuesday, a 68-year-old man was approached by two men in the parking lot of the Home Depot in the Merrifield area at around 3 p.m. The man asked for help and directions. As the conversation continued, the victim eventually was convinced to withdraw a large sum of money from the bank which was subsequently taken from the victim.

In both cases, suspects are described as black with a Jamaican or heavy foreign accents. Age descriptions range from 40s up to 60s.

Montgomery County Police in Maryland issued a news release Thursday that highlights two similar parking lot scams. Detectives are not definitively linking the cases, however, the circumstances are similar and residents should take precautions and be wary of strangers in parking lots.

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Police refer to these types of scams as “confidence schemes.” The suspect(s) gain the victim’s trust and confidence in order to defraud the victim of money. The suspects are often described as intimidating and victims can feel threatened by suspects. In other cases, victims are embarrassed at being duped and reluctant to contact police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

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