EPD: Evansville woman arrested for her role in an international scam

NEWS RELEASE

Evansville Police arrested 51 year old ELLA MAE BRADLEY for theft for her role in a scam that originated in Jamaica and bilked victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Police believe Bradley was involved in the scam where victims were told they had won the Jamaican lottery and needed to send money to a United States address in order to receive their winnings. Over the last three years, people from across the country have sent cashiers checks, money grams, and cash to Bradley at her Evansville home. Bradley would keep a portion of the money and send the rest to Jamaica. Bradley told police she believed she had sent around 1 million dollars to Jamaica in that time frame.

Evansville Police were altered to her activity by the Amarillo Texas Police Department. They began an investigation after an elderly victim had withdrawn approximately $100,000 from her bank account and sent it to Bradley in several installments. Evansville Police were able to intercept a $25,000 check and it has been returned to the victim.

Bradley told investigators that she had been a victim of the same scammers for two years and began helping them to try and recoup her losses.

Arrests in these types of scams are not very common. Most victims never recover any of their losses. The best way to deal with these scams is to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. If you have not entered a lottery or a contest, then you should not expect to win one. Never send money to anyone as payment for taxes or fees. If someone contacts you over the phone or email and attempts to convince you that you need to send money, hang up right way. The longer you allow them to talk, the more likely you are to fall victim to their scam.

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