Deputies search for woman accused of scamming older resident out of thousands of dollars

    MARION COUNTY, Florida (WESH) -- Marion County Sheriff's Office is asking for help with catching a woman who they say tricked another woman into giving her thousands of dollars.

Deputies say an older resident fell victim to the scam after the suspect pretended to be a PayPal worker.

The alleged scammer was last seen heading toward The Villages area.

"Essentially telling them I'm from PayPal, we're going to fix this problem as an overpayment problem, give me some money, I'm going to take care of it, so they gave this person some money, unfortunately," said Lt. Paul Bloom.

Investigators say there is a growing number of older people becoming victims, and they're trying to stop the problem.

Bloom said it is also an underreported crime.

"Once they realize they've been scammed, they just move on and don't really call us," said Bloom.

More recently, victims in one area of Marion County spoke out. Bloom said neighborhoods in the southwest district near State Road 200 had so many reported scams that the total loss over a two-month period was $1.2 million.

"That was reported to us, so we know a lot of that we're never hearing about, so if they're getting that kind of money, that means these scammers are never going to stop," said Bloom.

Deputies are warning people to watch out for signs and be extra careful.

"Just slow down. Pause," said Bloom. "I tell people all the time just slow down and verify. If it's a grandkid calling you or somebody from PayPal pretending to be, or even from your own bank slow down, it's not an emergency and call your bank."

Marion County Sheriff's Office said, "Anyone who has information on [the PayPal scamming suspect] identity, please call 352-732-9111. You can call in anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP or 352-368-7867. Tips can also be submitted at ocalacrimestoppers.com. For Crime Stoppers, please reference 25-08 in your tip."