BOISE, Idaho — Two men from Chicago are facing felony charges after police say they scammed local victims out of tens of thousands of dollars.
Derek Claytor and Jontiez Brooks, both 27, were arrested Wednesday as they tried to catch a flight out of Boise.
Boise Police began investigating earlier this month after a local credit union began receiving multiple reports of fraud. In each case, the victim had been contacted over social media by one of the suspects, who promised to be able to get them money, investigators say.
Police shared a screenshot of one of the scam posts, which shows a photo of a pile of bills with the message "Who ready to get paid today? Text CASH NOW to [phone number redacted.] It's legit... tell them I referred you."
As part of the scam, the victims were persuaded to give their physical debit card and pin code to a man who said he would deposit the money into their accounts. Investigators say the suspects deposited bad checks into those accounts, then used the victims' cards to make fraudulent withdrawals and purchases.
Detectives were able to get surveillance images of the suspects, which led to their identification. Claytor and Brooks were both taken into custody at the Boise Airport as they were preparing to fly out of the area.
Both men were booked into the Ada County Jail on charges of forgery, grand theft, and acquiring a financial transaction card with intent to defraud.
Claytor and Brooks are due to appear in court Thursday afternoon.
"Be cautious of "friends" posting ways to make money," Boise Police wrote. "If it sounds too good to be true, it always is."
Often, these scams can begin with someone's social media account being hacked, and that account used to send out money-making offers to the people who are friends with that account. Because of that, victims often think the offer is coming from a friend or acquaintance, rather than a stranger, and are less likely to realize they are getting scammed.
The department warned that people should never give out account information, and should verify any "offer" they receive by calling the business or agency involved directly.
