Man arrested for impersonating BSO Deputies, Scamming Victims out of tens of 1000’s of {dollars}

A person suspected of impersonating Broward Sheriff’s Workplace (BSO) Deputies and utilizing the company’s credibility to rip-off a number of people out of tens of 1000’s of {dollars} has been arrested.

In late October, following a weeks-long investigation, BSO detectives served an arrest warrant on Raquan Hardy, who’s in jail out of state on related expenses. The investigation started in early September after a telephone rip-off surfaced in Broward County the place a person spoofed a BSO Courthouse Management Room telephone quantity, contacted victims, and claimed to be a present BSO deputy.

The scammer knowledgeable victims that there have been lively warrants for his or her arrest. The scammer informed victims that they wanted to pay a surety bond in money by means of a bail bond firm to keep away from arrest on excellent expenses. The arrest warrants didn’t exist.

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Based on investigators, no less than 4 victims fell prey to the rip-off, handing over greater than $50,000 to Hardy between September 7 and 10. Total, BSO detectives obtained greater than 20 studies from a number of people, principally feminine medical professionals, who had been contacted by the scammer in early September.

As soon as alerted to the rip-off, BSO Dania Seaside District detectives, together with BSO’s Public Corruption Unit, instantly opened an investigation and shortly discovered that related crimes had lately occurred in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. By means of investigative means, BSO detectives developed Hardy as a suspect within the Broward County circumstances and discovered that he was in South Florida within the days earlier than the rip-off started. Nevertheless, earlier than they might find him in South Florida, Hardy fled to Georgia.

BSO detectives finally tracked Hardy to Dallas and started working with authorities there. Whereas in Texas, police performed a site visitors cease on Hardy and arrested him on a warrant for related crimes in Pennsylvania. Following his arrest in Texas, Hardy was extradited to Pennsylvania.

On October 19, a Broward County decide signed an arrest warrant for Hardy for crimes dedicated in Broward County. Hardy faces a complete of 21 counts associated to the telephone rip-off, together with an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, impersonating a regulation enforcement officer, extortion, and felony use of non-public identification info. The whole bond for the 21 counts is $900,000.

The investigation into Hardy’s crimes and whether or not anybody assisted him is ongoing.

Please bear in mind that BSO won’t ever name you to ask for cash or private info, demand bond cash or any type of fee. If you happen to obtain this kind of name, don’t present any private info or cash. As an alternative, instantly grasp up and speak to regulation enforcement.