Aug.23 – Savannah Woman Charged in Scam with 27 Victims, So Far

Written by From Staff Reports Monday, 23 August 2010 15:50

SBJ Staff Report

The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police announce today that they have charged Stacey Michelle Williams, 27, of Savannah with running a financial scam with 27 victims, so far. Police allege that she took advantage of residents who could least afford it.

Williams, a resident of the 400 block of Carolan Street, has been charged with Financial Identity Fraud and Theft By Deception after a scheme to convince victims she had paid their utility bills.

“These are residents who could least afford to lose $100 to $150 to $200,” said Detective R.J. Woodberry, overseeing the investigation, adding that the department is continuing to receive calls from victims who are discovering they paid for a service they never received. He gave this account of the scam to the department’s public relations office:

“Ms. Williams sought out victims who owed utility bills in parking lots of supermarkets and discount stores. She then offered to pay off their bills, for a fee, using a grant that she said the Equal Opportunity Administration had received to help the disadvantaged. She used a fraudulent EOA identification badge to help gain their confidence and asked for payment only after she provided confirmation that the bill had been paid.

After convincing her victims to provide their Georgia Power Co. account numbers, Ms. Williams would contact the power company, and in some cases telephone companies, by phone, identifying herself as the victim, and asking to pay off her bill electronically. She used a non-existing or fraudulent bank account to pay the bills, obtained a confirmation number indicating that the bill had been paid and provided that number to the victim.

In most cases she encouraged the victim to call the utility to confirm that the bill indeed had been paid, and then she collected her fee, ranging from $100 to $150 and in one case as much as $200 from the victim.

Victims realized they had been scammed several days later when they received notification from the utility indicating that the payment they had used to settle their accounts had been rejected by the bank, adding another $35 fee to their debt.”

Woodberry said Ms. Williams has a history of financial crimes from the past. Anyone believing they may have been a victim in the scam should contact Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Financial Crimes Division at (912) 657-6735.