Lynnwood police arrest couple in alleged swindle

Published 9:30 pm Friday, May 28, 2010

LYNNWOOD — Alert bystanders helped police arrest two people suspected of running a scam in Lynnwood on Monday.

Police believe the suspects, a California man, 58, and a Seattle woman, 53, were trying to steal money from senior citizens using a scam police call the pigeon drop or “The Jamaican Switch,” Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.

The scam involves two people who say they have a large amount of cash and need help returning to their home country. Victims often are duped into either taking fake cash or being robbed, Sessions said.

On Monday, the California man told his target that he was from Africa and had $200,000 cash, Sessions said. He and the woman were arrested in the 17500 block of Highway 99. Both suspects were booked into the Snohomish County Jail.

“Scams such as this happen more often than the general public realizes because they often go unreported,” Sessions said. “Frequently the victim is bilked for their life savings and then is too embarrassed to report the crime to their family, friends or police.”