According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel two scammers convinced an elderly man that they’d found a bag of money in a Home Depot parking lot — and that they’d split it with him if he gave them a “good faith cash payment.”

It’s a scam you probably have seen depicted in movies and on TV — but it apparently works. The Broward, Florida Sheriff’s Office says that an 83-year-old man was loading some plants into his truck when a woman approached and complimented him on on them.

Moments later, another man arrived and said he had found a bag containing $68,000 and two checks. The man said he worked for Home Depot, and would share the money with them if no one came forward to claim it, Detective Michele Fernandez said. He promised to deposit $18,000 of the money into the elderly man’s account, on the condition that the victim give a $9,000 “good faith” cash payment.

The victim went to a nearby bank and withdrew the money. Once he drove the pair back to Home Depot, they disappeared.

Parking lots are hotbeds of crime! Keep your wits about you, and if someone says they “found some money” — call the police.

If you recognize this woman, contact the Broward County Sheriff’s Office at 954-493-8477.

West Park: Suspect sought in elderly fraud [Morning Call]
Surveillance photo of West Park fraud suspect (BSO / January 13, 2009)

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