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

VERNON HILLS, IL — An elderly woman was scammed out of $27,000 in cash, police in Vernon Hills said. And a 56-year-old Wheeling man now faces a felony charge in connection with the crime as suburban police work to determine if more people have fallen victim to the complex scam.

Kariev 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. 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.

He was released on a felony theft charge and is next expected in court on Sept. 16.

“Scams of this type are all too common and far too costly,” said Vernon Hills Police Chief
Patrick L. Kreis. “We urge the public to be skeptical when interacting with unknown parties
and ask anyone who believes they have been targeted to report the incident to their local
law enforcement.”

Vernon Hills officers were assisted in their investigation by members of the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force (NORTAF) Burglary Task Force. This investigation is ongoing, and detectives believe others may have fallen victim to the scam, police said.