Woman donating $5 gets scammed out of $500, police say

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A woman in Utah County who tried to donate to someone's cause quickly found herself the victim of a scam, police said Friday.

The Saratoga Springs Police Department is now reminding people to be careful when approached randomly by strangers asking for money.

The trouble started Thursday afternoon outside a shopping center in Saratoga Springs, near 771 N. Redwood Road.

"We got a call about some trespassers in the Hobby Lobby parking lot area," Saratoga Springs Police Cpl. Brad Durr said. Turns out, those same people were also accused of running a scam.

Durr said a woman in the parking lot was approached by two men who said they were from Tennessee and were raising money for their basketball team. She agreed to donate $5.

"Almost immediately," Durr said, "the victim received notice from her bank that she was charged $500."

The woman tried to stop the men, Durr said, but they took off running. She called police, who quickly arrived and found the men, arresting one of them.

Antonio Taylor, 22, of Memphis, was arrested for investigation of theft by deception and operating a business without a license. Three others who were with him were cited, Durr told KSL.

Police said this is an important reminder about being careful when someone approaches asking for money — whatever the cause is.

"They have a story, people feel sorry for them, they want to help them, they think they're helping them, and then turns out … they're getting scammed for a lot of money," Durr said.

This outcome in this case was better than others, he pointed out, because someone was actually arrested.

"We were lucky that we were there quick and found them," Durr said.

Police urge people in situations like this to keep both eyes open.

"Be cautious about stuff like that," said Durr. "Call the police if you feel like something weird's going on and we'll check it out."

Related:How to protect yourself from rising threat of voice phishing scams

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