Local assistant principal scammed out of thousands of dollars
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A scary phone call leads to a woman out nearly $14,000. This happened after the person calling her impersonated a deputy with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office.
Gina Bonner is an assistant principal at Classen Middle School. She was at school Wednesday when she received the phone call.
Her heart dropped when she was told that she had a warrant out for her arrest.
"I was in a meeting and it just kind of caught me off guard," Bonner said. "I said well, what's going on? He said well, there's a warrant out for your arrest."
Bonner received a phone call from a man impersonating an Oklahoma County Sheriff's deputy, coming after her for not appearing on her court date.
"He said, well, a certified letter was sent out on December 28, and you were supposed to report on January 4," Bonner said. "I said for what?"
The man claimed she was wrongfully paid out for a PPP loan for a little more than $13,000. They sent her the documents to back it up and told her she needed to pay back that $13,000 or she'd be arrested.
"If you cooperate with us, you won't go to jail," Bonner said." So I said, tell me what I need to do."
Gina stayed on the phone while she wired the money, but when the scam artist told her she was short by $4, alarm bells finally starting ringing.
"So what do I need to rectify that," Bonner said. "Well, you need to put another $6500, and I said $6500? That doesn't sound right."
According to the FTC, Americans lost $8.8 billion to scammers in 2022. Imposter scams like this one are the most common.
OKCPD said 99% of the time, these scams are taking place out of state or out of the country, which makes it nearly impossible for them to track someone down.
"Once that money is sent, it's gone. It's really untraceable from that point," said Dillion Quirk, Public Information Officer for OKCPD.
OKCPD and the sheriff's office say they will never ask for money over the phone regardless of the reason.
"We don't do that. We don't do that in no way, shape or fashion do the sheriff's office collect money that way," Lt. Brett Slimp with the Oklahoma Co. Sherriff's Office said.
While it is unlikely Bonner will get her money back, she says she hopes this is a lesson for everyone.
"It is takes the life out of you, Bonner said. "It just gave me an empty feeling because that money that I work hard for, that I was just scammed out of it."
Again, OKCPD and the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office says they will never ask for money over the phone, so if you receive a call from someone impersonating a deputy asking for money, immediately hang up and call 911.