U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers helped prevent a Canadian senior from getting scammed out of $4,000.
Officers at the Fort Street Cargo Facility examined a package sent via UPS on April 26 that contained $4000 in Canadian dollars hidden inside.
Officers say the sender of the package almost fell victim to a senior citizen phone scam.
The package was manifested as a book with a low declared value originating from Oshawa, Ont., and destined for Kentucky.
U.S. Customs says research determined the address listed was not real and had links to fraudulent ID sales.
CBP Officers working with Homeland Security Investigations and RCMP determined the person who shipped the package is a senior citizen and resident of a nursing home in Canada, who was the victim of a phone scam by a criminal organization that preys on the elderly.
“Scammers will say anything to cheat people out of their money. Everyone’s a potential target,” said David Beculheimer, acting port director, in a news release. “This case illustrates how important partnerships between Canada and the United States are to border security.”
The Canadian currency and book were seized by CBP for and turned over to Homeland Security.
The package with the money and book will be returned to the victim with the assistance of the RCMP.
