Police arrested a Frisco woman who allegedly scammed $25,000 from an elderly couple.
Jessica Bahu, 22, allegedly scammed $25,000 from an 80-year-old man and his 77-year-old wife, according to a statement from the Garland Police Department. She had reportedly “identified herself as the FBI.”
Jessica Bahu of Frisco has been arrested for Exploitation of the Elderly, a third-degree felony. Image by Garland Police Department.
“They knew something wasn’t right, but they kept just believing the lie,” said Matt Pesta, Garland Police community relations officer, to The Dallas Express. “Everything unraveled.”
Garland police are working with the FBI to continue the investigation, and they “don’t think she worked alone,” according to Pesta.
“She’s not really being very cooperative right now. We’re having to wait for more digital evidence to come back,” he said. “But anybody we can file charges on, we’re going to.”
The Scam
The elderly couple reportedly answered a call from someone “posing as their bank and the FBI,” according to CBS News. Then, over several hours, the caller manipulated them into withdrawing more than $25,000.
The victims were told to go to a remote parking lot and give the money to Bahu, who pretended to be an FBI agent.
“After she got the money, what if she pulled out a weapon and said, ‘Give me your car keys too?’” Pesta said. “The fact that she was posing as an FBI agent really ramped it up.”
Garland police responded to Chase Bank near 3200 Broadway Blvd. on August 6, where the man and his wife reported they were tricked into withdrawing the cash from their account.
“We went to Chase Bank with them, and they were like, ‘No, this is a scam,’” Pesta said.
The Investigation
Garland Detective John Capers – who also built a Lego replica of the department’s headquarters — was assigned to the case.
“He wouldn’t sleep. I mean, he was just calling anybody he could to get help,” Pesta said. “He ended up getting some good leads in the case and was able to figure out different things leading him to her.”
Ultimately, Capers gathered enough to file an arrest warrant for Bahu.
A judge issued the warrant on August 20, according to Pesta. Soon after, investigators learned Bahu was on a flight back to Dallas Love Field – so they contacted the Dallas Police Department. He said a “bunch of officers” went to meet her.
“They welcomed her home,” Pesta said. “If you want to talk about a gratifying feeling as a police officer, to be able to put handcuffs on somebody who’s done this to our elderly folks.”
Police booked Bahu into the Garland Detention Center on August 20. She faces a charge for exploitation of the elderly, a third-degree felony. Her bond was reportedly set at $100,000, but she bonded out of jail.
Garland police are working with the FBI to continue investigating this case, according to Pesta. He said the FBI is considering additional charges against Bahu for impersonation. He was unsure about her citizenship status.
Taking Advantage
“Every now and again, we’ll see a report like this where $25,000-plus has been stolen,” Pesta said. “It drops your stomach, because a lot of these people live check to check.”
Scammers have developed a pattern of impersonating law enforcement in Dallas, as The Dallas Express previously reported. After one woman reported harassment to the city, a supposed “sergeant” followed up, but he was no police officer at all – he was a scammer.
Pesta said the most vulnerable people are children, and the second-most vulnerable people are the elderly.
“What these scammers typically do is they scare them. They make them feel ashamed and bashful – I wouldn’t tell your family about this, you don’t want them thinking you’re a troublemaker,” he said. “Whatever their tactics are, they’re all about the same.”
This type of crime often goes unreported, since victims don’t know until it is already too late. So Pesta said it is difficult to gauge whether this crime is becoming more common.
“It’s really hard to tell – scams come in different forms,” he said.
Garland police urged members of the public to “report suspicious calls immediately.” Before taking action, residents should reach out to the relevant organization directly or contact local police.