COLUMBUS – Columbus police are warning central Ohio businesses about a phone scam.
Someone posing as a member of the business’ management staff calls and tells employees that they should expect a customer to come in to claim an envelope with cash inside which was left behind and placed in the business’ safe or drop box, according to investigators with the Fraud/Forgery Unit.
The employees are told to take several hundred dollars in cash from the register and hand it over and the “manager” would replace it with cash from the inside the safe.
The scenario has played out dozens of times the last few months and varies from time to time, though usually a female enters the store to collect the cash which is, of course, not replaced, detectives said.
Some men and women have been arrested but are out on bond and authorities expect them to continue their scam so police are sending out a warning.