Proudly Serving the Citizens of Beaufort County, South Carolina

For emergencies, call 9-1-1

Proudly serving the residents and visitors of Beaufort County, South Carolina

For emergencies, call 9-1-1

Hilton Head Island woman loses more than $100,000 in scam

A Hilton Head Island woman falls victim to a scam, losing $130,000.

The woman reported to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office she had hand delivered more than $100,000 to an individual who claimed to be a government agent. She had been scammed.

The scam started with a phone call at the end of June. The person on the other end claimed to be with Amazon and was inquiring about purchases made. The woman said she hadn’t made any purchases. As a result, the person “transferred the woman to CIA Agent William Nelson”.

The alleged agent texted the woman a photo of his credentials and proceeded to call and text her. In the communication with the alleged agent, she was told her social security number had been compromised and she was involved in payments to foreign nations.

She was advised to withdraw all of her money so that it could be put into “Federal Protective Custody”.

Believing the scam, she first withdrew $30,000 and purchased gift cards as instructed. She then withdrew an additional $100,000 in cash.

The woman was instructed to meet with another alleged CIA agent at a Walmart in Hardeeville to deliver the gift cards and cash, which she did.

Should you believe you’ve been a victim of a scam, please report it to your local law enforcement agency.