ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando man has been arrested after police say he was involved in an attempted scam targeting a 76-year-old New Smyrna Beach woman.
According to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, the woman received a call Oct. 29 from someone claiming to be her son. The caller told her he had been involved in a deadly crash and needed $9,800 to get out of jail.
Police said the woman later received calls from people claiming to be an attorney and a representative of a “pretrial intervention program.” The callers instructed her to withdraw cash, package it and have it picked up from her home.
The woman became suspicious and contacted police before handing over any money.
While officers were with her, investigators said the suspect continued communicating with the woman and arranged for an Uber driver to pick up the envelope. Police determined the driver was legitimate and was unknowingly being used as part of the alleged scheme.
Working with Orlando police, investigators tracked the delivery to Orlando, where they said 27-year-old Marcus Richard Ristie took possession of the envelope.
New Smyrna Beach police obtained an arrest warrant, and Orlando police arrested Ristie on a felony charge of organized scheme to defraud.
Police are reminding residents to independently verify unexpected requests for money, particularly when callers claim a family member has been arrested or involved in an emergency.
Ristie is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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