A 71-year-old woman from Sequim lost $125,000 in an elaborate scam after being tricked by fraudsters posing as federal agents investigating Amazon-related fraud.
The scam began on March 2 when the victim received a call from a man claiming to be from Amazon’s Fraud Department. He then transferred her to another man who introduced himself as “John Davis,” supposedly an agent with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
“Davis” convinced the woman that she was caught up in a money laundering scheme and needed to prove her innocence by handing over cash to the FTC. Following his instructions, she withdrew large amounts of money, placed it in a lockbox, and delivered it to an “agent” at a local business. Over three separate meetings, she handed over a total of $125,000, receiving a single one-dollar bill in return each time.
The scam was uncovered when the woman’s bank manager noticed the suspicious transactions and alerted her. This prompted an investigation by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
On March 12, law enforcement set up a sting operation with the help of the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team. The victim was told to prepare another $40,000 for delivery. During the exchange, deputies arrested 35-year-old Alla Mashkova from Tacoma, who was identified as the driver of the suspect vehicle.
Mashkova, who required a Ukrainian-speaking interpreter, was booked into Clallam County Jail on charges of second-degree extortion and attempted first-degree theft. Authorities believe more people were involved in the scam, and the investigation is ongoing.