Cape Coral police are working to recover more than $250,000 from a bank account that may be tied to criminal activity. The twist? The criminals didn’t open the account or deposit the money themselves.
Officers say the criminals tricked an elderly woman into doing their work for them.
Court documents reveal that the victim, an elderly Cape Coral woman, fell for an online romance scam. She unknowingly acted as a “money mule,” transferring funds for a man who claimed to be named Jeff Baker.
“This is so heartbreaking and unfortunate,” said Kristin Ziman, WINK News safety and security expert.
Ziman explained that scammers often gain trust quickly by professing love or deep affection within days or weeks. They may claim to be in the military or working overseas to avoid meeting in person and eventually request money for emergencies.
Cape Coral police are now pursuing a civil forfeiture case to reclaim the funds linked to the crime.
Court records show that the man, claiming to be “Jeff Baker,” conned the woman into cashing fraudulent checks he sent her. The two met online, and she believed he was her “boyfriend.”
Ziman said scammers “will say almost anything to get you to open a bank account, to deposit a fraudulent check.”
Detectives learned about the situation from the Longboat Key Police Department. They visited the woman at her home after she returned from attempting to cash a $2.7 million check.
“People can go, ‘Oh my gosh, how did they not know? What were they thinking when they opened up this bank account?’ And I have seen really smart individuals fall for this,” said Ziman. “You start to get vulnerable and intimate with these people, and you build trust, and it’s just a faux trust, but this is the nature of the human condition, is we want to believe the best in people.”
Ziman offered advice on avoiding such scams.
“Never, ever send money or deposit checks or a gift card for someone that you have never met in person. You need to be skeptical of all online relationships that escalate quickly,” she said.
Red flags include new, fast-forming relationships and requests for money. Ziman advised families to engage in open discussions about online interactions and to report suspicious activities to law enforcement.
Authorities believe Baker resides outside the United States and that there could be more victims in Lee County. These scams are often connected to criminal organizations financing drug and human trafficking.
“These scams are on the rise,” said Ziman.
She warned that such scams are on the rise due to the growth of technology and social media.
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