Man Accused Of Scamming Elderly Woman Wanted On Warrant: Courts

VERNON HILLS, IL — A warrant has been issued for the arrest of an alleged scammer accused of swindling $27,000 from a local elderly woman.

The warrant was filed on Tuesday after Dmytro Kariev failed to appear for his initial court hearing in Lake County Circuit Court, according to court documents provided to Patch. Kariev is charged with two felony counts of theft/deception.

• Suburban Man Targets Elderly Woman, Scams Her Out Of $27,000

Kariev, 55, of Wheeling, is accused of stealing from an elderly woman during two separate occasions on Aug. 8 by coercing her into delivering him money by claiming he was an agent with the federal government.

The complex scam began in late July, police said, when the victim received an e-mail indicating there had been an unauthorized withdrawal from her bank account. She was then prompted by a pop-up message on her computer to call an unknown phone number, police said.

After calling, she spoke with a man who claimed her social security number had been used to purchase guns out of state, according to a news release from Vernon Hills police.

The caller then told her she needed $20,000 in cash in order for the Social Security Administration and U.S. Treasury to launch an investigation into the matter, police said. The scammer also provided the woman with personal details, including her bank account balances, and promised the funds would be returned at a later date.

He then came to the woman's home where he used a code word to verify his identity, and she gave him $20,000 in cash. He assured her the money would be delivery to the Social Security Administration, according to the news release.

The next day, the scammers told her to send an additional $7,000 cash via a delivery service to an address in California. Soon after delivery of the money, all phone numbers used by the scammers were deactivated, police said.

The woman provided investigators with a detailed description of the scammer and also took photos of his vehicle and license plate. Police linked the crimes to Kariev, who was arrested on Sept. 2.

An investigation into the scam Is ongoing and "detectives believe others may have fallen victim to the scam," police said in a news release. Anyone with information is asked to contact Vernon Hills Police.