Hazel Park woman scammed out of nearly $300K pension; suspect caught by Flock cameras

A California man is behind bars in Oakland County after police say they connected him to a crime that left a Hazel Park woman scammed out of nearly $300,000.

"We've had a few scams to this nature, but never this large, really," said Hazel Park Police Department Detective Chad Jackson.

Jackson says that in late March, a 70-year-old female resident was targeted by a major scam.

"She received an email that said she had a warrant for her arrest. Claimed it was from the Federal Trade Commission. They said that there was a car found that had a dead body in it, and there was drugs involved, and her name was attached to it, and her information was in the vehicle," Jackson said. 

To clear her name, Jackson says the scammer requested money and then instructed the woman to purchase gold. They even went to her home to pick it up.

Days later, the scammer reached out again for additional funds. The victim cashed out her and her deceased husband's pension accounts and, in total, paid the scammer more than $270,000.

"They threatened her that she shouldn't call the police locally because there is a warrant, so they would probably arrest her, and they could handle it separately outside of that," said Jackson. "She was told that her money would be held for a period of time to clear her name and that they would return it back to her account. But her money never returned, so weeks later she contacted us."

Investigators gathered video, obtained search warrants, and used Flock cameras to track down the alleged scammer in California, 30-year-old Ranjeet Singh from Sacramento.

The suspect was arrested, extradited, and arraigned in Hazel Park District Court on Sept. 2. He faces two counts of false pretenses.

Jackson tells CBS News Detroit to avoid becoming a scammer's prey; there are signs to look out for.

"Often these scammers are trying to create a sense of urgency that you have to give something real quickly or right away or something bad is going to happen. We say if you get a phone call that doesn't make sense, doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Hang up the phone, contact a local agency like your police department," Jackson said. 

Singh remains behind bars on a $300,000 bond, along with a GPS tether if released.