WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A man from Orlando is facing felony charges after he allegedly scammed an 82-year-old Walton County man out of nearly $20,000.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), Terrence George Owens, 38, of Orlando, has been charged with elderly exploitation, fraud, grand theft, and impersonating a federal agent after posing as an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent in a sweepstakes scam.
The WCSO said the 82-year-old victim contacted the agency after he was reportedly defrauded.
The victim told investigators he had received phone calls from a woman who claimed to be with Publishers Clearing House. The WCSO said the caller gained the victim’s trust and falsely convinced the victim he and his wife had won prizes worth millions of dollars.
The woman reportedly told the victim they had to prepay part of the taxes to the IRS to receive the prize.
On February 21, the victim reportedly provided $19,500 to a suspect pretending to be an IRS agent. The victim said he met with the male suspect in the parking lot of McDonald’s in Freeport.
According to the victim, the suspect presented himself as an IRS agent and provided the suspect with a bank bag containing the cash.
After the delivery, the female suspect is said to have called the victim again and informed him an additional $30,000 was needed because the prize the victim was receiving was increased to $74.5 million, a brand-new car, and $550,000 cash.
On March 6, the WCSO Criminal Investigation Bureau arranged a meeting at the same location, with an investigator posing as the victim.
Mr Owens was arrested after he allegedly told the undercover investigator he was there to pick up money from him and took a bank bag from the investigator.
After his arrest, investigators said they were able to confirm Owens was also the suspect posing as the IRS agent from the original interaction with the victim.
Mr Owens was charged with grand theft, impersonating a federal agent, exploitation of the elderly, scheme to defraud, and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
He was issued a $100,000 bond. Additional charges may be forthcoming.
