Delhi police looking for ‘masterminds’ using others for bank fraud

DELHI TOWNSHIP (WXIX) - The Delhi Township Police Department says it’s seeing a rise in fraudulent bank transactions with those involved being victimized themselves.

Lt. Joe Macaluso says the ‘masterminds’ behind a trend of fraudulent bank withdrawals are preying on others to do the work - people who are using drugs or down on their luck.

“This is more of a bigger operation,” Macaluso said. “When you are luring people to do this, you’re taking their photograph and putting it on a fake ID or ID card.”

The scheme has puzzled police due to suspects being able to correctly answer many of the security questions asked by the bank.

“We’ve had a few cases where they answered questions that we’re not sure how they got,” Macaluso said.

Edward Grimes, 60, was arrested in one of the recent incidents. He was indicted on two counts of identity fraud and two counts of forgery for allegedly attempting to withdraw $75,000 from a victim’s bank account, court documents say.

Macaluso says most of the cases are for smaller amounts - around $2,000 to $3,000.

Law enforcement say similar cases have grown beyond the Tri-State, hitting the Lexington and Louisville areas.

Macaluso says people can better protect themselves by going to their bank in person and frequently updating their security questions to something unique where they’re the only ones who would know the answer.

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