PROVO, UT — Provo police are again urging families to talk with older relatives about financial scams after detectives investigated a scheme that took $70,000 from an 83-year-old woman. Investigators say the woman believed she was protecting her money after receiving a call from someone who falsely claimed to be with her bank.
Police said the caller told her fraudulent activity had been found on her account and that someone was trying to cash a $70,000 check using it. The woman was then pushed to withdraw the money herself and turn it over for supposed FBI examination. Detectives say she followed those instructions, made two $35,000 withdrawals, and handed over the cash in a parking lot in Provo.
How the bank impostor scheme unfolded
Court documents say the scam began on April 28, when the woman answered a call from a person posing as a bank representative. The caller used the threat of account fraud and a fake check attempt to create fear and urgency, then instructed her to take out $70,000 and deliver it to the FBI.
Police said the woman complied and arranged to meet a ride-share driver in Provo. She gave the driver the cash, and the Uber then carried the money to an unidentified man in Salt Lake City. A search warrant affidavit says the driver was not part of the fraud and was simply completing a normal ride request without knowing what was happening.
Detectives are still tracing who ordered the ride
Investigators are now trying to figure out who placed the Uber request that led to the handoff. That person remains unknown, and police said the case was still active as of Friday. The money trail has already stretched beyond one city, with the cash ending up in Salt Lake City after the pickup in Provo.
Cases like this are difficult because the person who physically carries the money may have no idea a crime is taking place. Police said that was true here, and they are focusing on the person or people who arranged the delivery and claimed to be acting for law enforcement.
A growing scam problem across Utah and the nation
Provo police said the case fits a much larger pattern of financial fraud aimed at older adults. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Report says cyber-enabled crimes cost Americans nearly $21 billion last year, with people over 60 reporting about $7.7 billion in losses.
The bureau said it received more than 1 million complaints in 2025, with phishing and spoofing, extortion and investment schemes among the most common. The agency also said complaints involving cyber-enabled fraud topped about 453,000 and produced more than $17.7 billion in reported losses. Officials say the numbers show why even a single local case can be part of a much bigger national problem.
The warning signs police want families to recognize
Police say the pressure tactics in these scams are often the clearest warning sign. Victims are told they must act immediately to protect money, avoid arrest or keep a loved one safe, and that urgency can make it harder to slow down and check the story.
Provo police spokeswoman Janna-Lee Holland said callers can easily spoof numbers so they look legitimate. She advised people to hang up and call their bank back using the phone number posted publicly by the institution. Police also want family members to watch older relatives closely when it comes to online activity and unusual financial requests.
Examples of scams police say keep resurfacing
Last year, Provo police used social media posts to flag several common scams that keep showing up in senior-targeted cases. Those include callers pretending to be law enforcement and demanding payment for unpaid fines or bail, claims that a transfer was made by mistake, and fake utility bills.
Police also warned about offers to fix nonexistent computer problems, which can lead to remote access to a device, and schemes that say a relative is jailed in a foreign country and needs urgent money to get out. The FBI also lists romance scams among the frauds it tracks, and officials say older Americans continue to be frequent targets.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
