Alleged group of bank scammers taking thousands from Oklahomans
Dec 12, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahoma City Police are investigating a group of alleged scammers swiping Oklahomans' money, leaving bank accounts drained.
"It's tens of thousands. I don't have an exact dollar figure, but it's a significant amount of cash," said Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Authorities say the alleged scammers will go into banks and open accounts. From there, they will call people impersonating that bank. It's unclear what's being done to access client information.
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"It's not just one or two local banks, It's a variety of banks throughout the metro," said Knight.
Court records identify one of the suspects as Morris James Perry. He was previously convicted of domestic abuse in Oklahoma County.
Morris James Perry, image date 6/11/2023. Photo courtesy Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
The filings allege Perry scammed over seven thousand dollars by acting like an employee from the fraud unit at True Sky Credit Union.
True Sky Credit Union. Photo courtesy KFOR.
Police describe the act as a new take on an old game.
"The victims all for that and then their accounts are quickly drained," Knight said.
Jessica Hattie Mills is identified as a woman allegedly involved. She also has prior felony charges, but there are no previous mug shots available online.
In court documents, she's accused of taking over $5,000 using the same phone game.
While police know who some of their suspects are, no arrests have been made.
Investigators believe Perry was possibly recruited and involved with a fraud crew out of the state of Washington.
Police say both Perry and Mills are going to be facing conspiracy and fraud charges.
Authorities say if you get a suspicious call from someone claiming to work at your bank, to hang up and dial your bank to see if they're actually trying to reach you.
Court records indicate True Sky Credit Union reimbursed two customers so far, and are out of $5,000 as they seek restitution.
News 4 reached out to True Sky today and they declined to comment.
Allegiance Federal Credit Union was another firm listed in the documents that was impacted by the scam. News 4 has also not heard back from them.