Recently, the Michigan State Police announced that one of their officers had found $5,000 in cash and was attempting to return it to the rightful owner. However, the owner mistakenly believed the phone call from the officer was a scam and repeatedly hung up. After some effort, the officer successfully returned the money to the owner.
The Michigan State Police shared this amusing incident on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) on April 28th, detailing the sequence of events. According to the post, an officer discovered $5,000 in cash on Huber Rd in Monroe, Michigan, and contacted a nearby bank to locate the owner. It was revealed that the owner had just withdrawn the money but had accidentally lost it.
When the officer called the owner to confirm the loss, they encountered difficulties. The post stated, “The individual must have listened to our public service broadcasts on preventing scams, so he thought he was being scammed and repeatedly hung up on the officer.”
Ultimately, the officer managed to convince the owner that it was not a scam and returned the $5,000 to him.
It was mentioned in the post that the owner had apparently placed the cash in his pocket after withdrawing it but somehow it fell out. The department was pleased to return the money to its rightful owner.
Speaking of scam phone calls, many people have likely received similar calls and might have even fallen victim unintentionally. The non-profit organization Better Business Bureau in the U.S. specifically warns people to be extra cautious.
The bureau highlights that when you receive calls from unknown sources and strangers immediately say phrases like “Can you hear me?”, “Is this [your name]?”, or “Are you there?”, you should be cautious as these are common tactics used in scam calls, and you might unwittingly fall for it. (For more information, click here.)