A 41-year-old woman is charged with impersonating a police officer and financial fraud, accused by the Richland County Sheriff of scamming an elderly woman.
RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A 41-year-old woman is facing multiple charges after deputies say she scammed an 87-year-old woman out of more than $17,000 in an elaborate scheme that began at a retail store in northeast Richland County.
According to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, the suspect, Dorothy Watkins, was working as a cashier at a store in the Sandhills area under a false identity. Deputies say while assisting the victim at the register, Watkins took the woman’s driver’s license and returned a different one.
Investigators say Watkins later used the stolen identification to locate the victim’s home and made multiple visits, each time posing as someone else.
Lott described the case as particularly troubling because of how far the suspect went to deceive the victim.
“This is probably one of the most disturbing scams against a senior that we’ve dealt with, and it’s not causing the amount of money that was stolen. It was the boldness of the scammer going to our victim’s house three times, three times. This wasn’t a scam so much over a telephone or email or a text message. This was a scam where it actually went and got the victim and took the victim to a bank and tried to withdraw money.”
Deputies say on one visit, Watkins claimed she worked for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and even used Lott’s name to gain the victim’s trust. Authorities say she then convinced the woman to go to the bank and attempt to withdraw $10,000.
The bank did not complete that withdrawal, but investigators say Watkins stole the victim’s credit cards and later used them to make more than $17,000 in fraudulent purchases, including appliances.
“She charged over seventeen thousand dollars worth of stuff from this lady’s credit card. Washer and dryer, a stove. She just went on a shopping spree,” Lott said.
Watkins is charged with kidnapping, impersonating a law enforcement officer, financial identity fraud, exploitation of a vulnerable adult, obtaining property under false pretenses and financial transaction fraud. Authorities say she has since been released on bond and is required to wear an ankle monitor.
Lott warned that cases like this are not isolated.
“She used a false identity to get the apartment that she was living in, where the stolen goods were stored. She has lived off of victims, but this victim here is eighty seven years old.”
Investigators say they have responded to multiple scams involving other victims in just the past few days.
Cybersecurity experts say scams often rely on creating urgency to pressure victims into acting quickly.
“One of the telltale signs that you’re involved in a scam is that the caller is trying to get you to take an action immediately,” said Alex Galloway, interim director of cyber compliance at the University of South Carolina.
He added that people should be cautious of anyone claiming to be law enforcement and asking for money.
“Police departments don’t call and ask their citizens for money,” Galloway said.
Lott urged families to stay involved in monitoring older relatives’ finances to help prevent scams.
“You have got to check their credit card statements. You got to check their bank balances, their checking account balances, you got to check their mail. And yes, they’ll get mad at it until they say they don’t need you to do it. But if you really love your senior citizen, you love your family member, you need to do that.”
Deputies say anyone who believes they may be a victim of a scam should contact law enforcement immediately. They are also directing residents to Project HOPE, a sheriff’s department program focused on supporting senior citizens.
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