Multiple Clovis residents have lost thousands of dollars in a recent known fraud, and we are asking our community to be aware and vigilant. Over the course of five days, one elderly victim withdrew and handed over $238,000 in cash last month to multiple unknown suspects after a “pop-up” appeared on their computer. Another Clovis resident was defrauded out of $15,000 this month after they received an email and followed the suspect’s instructions. In December 2024, Clovis Police Detectives previously arrested two suspects on two separate cases after they arrived at homes to pick up large amounts of cash that they were trying to scam from Clovis residents.
The scam goes like this: The victim receives either a “pop-up” on their computer screen, or information in an email. A phone number is given to the victim to call, thinking it is their bank or financial institution. The suspects speak to the victim, pretending to be representing a bank or fraud department of a known company, and explain that their computer or bank account(s) have been hacked, and they need to withdraw their money to protect it from being stolen. The suspect(s) stays on the phone with the victim while they go to their bank and withdraw thousands of dollars. The victim is then given instructions to hand the cash over to a “security officer” from the company who comes to their home, with a promise to return it after their bank account(s) is no longer in danger. The victim is told not to talk to anyone, and they are rushed into a decision that will leave them sometimes without their life savings.
If you have been the victim of a crime, call us immediately to report it. Keep in contact with those who are elderly, or prone to victimization to inform them about these illegal frauds. These suspects are very convincing, they will try and rush you, and they will tell you not to talk to anyone. If you receive a suspicious message like these, do not call the phone number provided or click on a link. To verify that you are in communication with the legitimate business, look up their public contact information and contact them directly or in person. There is no suspect information or leads in either of the two recent fraud cases. If you have information regarding these crimes, please call the Clovis Police Department’s non-emergency phone number anytime at (559) 324-2800.
