Police: Elderly Woman Scammed of $20K in Montgomery County

An 87-year-old woman was scammed of more than $20,000, and detectives are seeking the public's help to locate the suspects, police said.

A man holding a large bag of cash approached the elderly woman last week as she left a Giant store at White Oak Shopping Center in Silver Spring, Md., Montgomery County police said. He asked the victim and another woman who'd come up beside her if the bag belonged to either of them.

He then said that he'd be willing to share the money with them if they each contributed $20,000 in good faith. The other woman produced $20,000 in cash.

The victim withdrew $15,000 from the bank and went home to produce jewelry worth more than $10,000, which she gave to the other woman, police said, but when she returned to the shopping center parking lot, the man was gone and the other woman quickly fled.

The female culprit was described as white, in her 30s or 40s, 5' 4" with a round face. She had an accent and carried a large purse. She wore black slacks and a green blouse. A witness believed that she wore a wig and actually might have blond hair, but that was not apparent in a surveillance image.

The male culprit was described as black man in his 30s or 40s, about 6'0" with a medium build and short black hair. He was described as a fast talker and was clean shaven. He was well-dressed in a white shirt and tie.