Quick reporting and investigation help Dunkin Donuts franchisee recoup most of the stolen funds.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detectives have recovered more than $144,000 that was stolen from a local business owner in an email fraud scheme, concluding a two-month investigation.
On October 23, the owner of a local Dunkin’ Donuts franchise visited the FCSO District 2 Office in Palm Coast to report the incident. The business owner explained that he had recently completed a restaurant remodel and sent a final payment to what he believed was his contractor. However, the contractor later contacted him, saying they had never received the money.
The victim discovered he had been tricked by a fraudulent email. After receiving a legitimate invoice from the contractor through a third-party payment software commonly used in the construction industry, he received a follow-up message from an email address designed to closely resemble the original. That second email contained instructions for a wire transfer, which the victim had previously arranged with the contractor, but the bank account information had been changed to direct the money to a fraudulent account.
The victim sent the payment as instructed in the fake email, resulting in a total loss of $166,564.18.
Detectives from the General Assignment Unit took over the case and began investigating. They obtained information about the fraudulent bank account from Truist Bank and discovered that $144,506.08 remained in the account. The bank froze those funds while the investigation continued.
On December 11, detectives secured a search warrant to recover the stolen money. Truist Bank then returned the funds to the victim and closed the fraudulent account.
“Thanks to this business owner quickly reporting the fraud and the great work of our General Assignment Unit detectives, we were able to recover and return the majority of the money that had been stolen by this scammer pretending to be their contractor,” said Sheriff Rick Staly.
The Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to remain cautious when sending money online. Officials advise people to carefully check email addresses and watch for warning signs such as poor grammar or spelling mistakes. Anyone who believes they have been targeted by fraud should contact law enforcement immediately. Flagler County residents can report scams by calling 386-313-4911 or by visiting the Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell or the District 2 Office in Palm Coast.
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