Fairfax Co. Police Warn of Parking Lot Scam

Fairfax Police are warning residents about scammers who approach their victims in parking lots.

According to police, on August 6, two men approached a 68-year-old man in the parking lot of a Home Depot in the Merrifield area at about 3 p.m. The men asked for help and directions. Police said the two men eventually convinced the victim to withdraw large sums of money from a bank, which was subsequently taken from him. 

In another case, at 3 p.m. on August 5 in the parking lot of another Home Depot in the Seven Corners area, a 30-year-old man was approached. A man asked the victim for a ride to D.C. and showed him cash. The 30-year-old man agreed to give him a ride. The suspect convinced the victim to withdraw money from an ATM.  

“After discussions concerning the safety of U.S. banking institutions and ‘trust,’ the suspect walked away with $9,000 that the victim had given him,” according to police.

 In both cases, suspects are described as having a Jamaican or heavy foreign accents.

Montgomery County Police issued a news release on August 8 that highlights two similar scams, police said.

Authorities said they are not definitively linking the cases, however, the circumstances are similar and residents should take precautions and be wary of strangers in parking lots.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.