Pigeon Drop Advisory
A Pigeon Drop is a confidence trick in which a mark or “pigeon” is persuaded to give up a sum of money and / or jewelry (“good faith money”) in order to prove trustworthiness and secure the rights to a larger sum of money or more valuable property like bars of gold. In reality, the scammers- suspects usually work in pairs- make off with the victim’s money / valuables and the victims or marks are left with nothing.
These scams are perpetrated by adult males and females of all ages and races. Victims are male and female, all races, often elderly and are initially approached by the suspect(s) in commercial parking lots during daytime hours.
The suspects present different scenarios to include:
1. Having inherited a large sum of money and needing assistance donating it to a church or other non-profit / philanthropic cause because they are not American citizens; for their assistance, victims are offered roughly $100,000.
2. Needing assistance cashing a winning lottery ticket due to suspect not being a U.S. citizen.
3. Finding a bag of money in a parking lot and offering to split it with the victim.
In all of these scenarios, one suspect first approaches the victim and later a second suspect inserts him or herself as a “stranger” willing to help. Suspects will often use the ruse of contacting a “lawyer” or “law firm” knowledgeable of their plight to aid in legitimizing themselves to the victims.
In the course of the scam, the suspect appears to put his money with the mark’s money (in an envelope, briefcase or bag) with which the mark is then entrusted. The combined money is actually not put in the bag or envelope, but is switched for a bag full of cut up paper / newspaper. It is not uncommon for the scam to play out over the course of several hours as the victim and suspect(s) drive (in the victim’s car) to the bank to withdraw money, to the victim’s residence to obtain cash / jewelry and to the final location where the victim is abandoned by the suspects after having been asked to obtain medicine in a drug store, make a phone call or drive around the block.
In recent weeks, three victims have fallen prey to pigeon drops scams in Torrance. The victims were initially contacted by the suspects at the 21700 block of Western Ave, 190th and Anza and the 19800 block of Hawthorne.
Click the following link to view bulletin:
http://www.torranceca.gov/TPD/Documents/16-152_PUBLIC_PIGEON_DROP_ADVISORY.pdf
Report any information believed to be related to any criminal activity to the Torrance Police Department at 310-328-3456.
“See Something, Say Something”
Emergency 9-1-1
Non-Emergency: 310-328-3456
Provided By:
Torrance Police Department –
Community Affairs Division
310-618-6391 or 310-618-6392
www.Police.TorranceCA.Gov
www.YouTube.com/TPDCommAffairs
www.Facebook.com/TorrancePD
www.Twitter.com/TorrancePD
Address/Location
Torrance Police Department
3300 Civic Center Dr
Torrance, CA 90503
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 310-328-3456