Man, 85, Swindled by Con Men Posing as Officers

Two men pretending to be police officers swindled an 85-year-old Watts resident out of $20,000 after telling their victim that he was suspected of laundering Mexican currency, investigators said Thursday.

The phony detectives told their victim, whose name was not released, that he would have to show them money from his bank account to prove it was not counterfeit, said Los Angeles Police Det. Comie Scales. The victim drove to a Bank of America branch at 6th and Alameda streets where one of the “detectives” gave him a withdrawal slip.

He was told to withdraw $20,000 and explain that he needed it for his son’s bail if anyone asked any questions, Scales said. After their victim handed over the money, the two men told their victim that the bills were fake and that they would have to confiscate them.

One man was described as African American with black hair and brown eyes. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 175 to 180 pounds. He has a prominent black mole on the right side of his face.

The second man is a white male between 30 and 35, 5-feet-6, 150 pounds, blue eyes and short blond hair. He used the name “Lt. Rolly.”