A Maryland sheriff's office has arrested a Virginia man for trying to bilk a woman out of nearly $40,000 by telling her that her nephew had been arrested.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that a woman received a phone call on Friday telling her that her nephew had been arrested and that it would take $29,000 to get him out of jail, the Carroll County Times reported. A man who investigators said was working with the caller arrived at the woman's home in Sykesville and collected the cash.
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The next day the woman was told she would have to get another $10,000, the sheriff's office said. A bank teller questioned the withdrawals and called police.
When a man returned to the home on Saturday to collect the additional money, he was arrested.
The sheriff's office filed multiple charges against Michael Odell Anderson, 62, of Dunn, Virginia, including theft of between $25,000 and $100,000. Anderson was released on a personal recognizance bond on Tuesday, but it wasn't known whether he had an attorney to represent him.
