- Strange Matter Coffee received the scam call just before 1 pm on Tuesday.
- The scam caller managed to walk away with about $1,000.
- Watch video above to hear reaction from Strange Matter Coffee owner.
Strange Matter Coffer owner, Cara Nader has high emotions after fraudulent activity hit her East Michigan location Tuesday afternoon.
“It just frustrates me that people are so terrible and don't think about small businesses,” Nader.
Nader said it all started with a phone call, just before 1pm. Her employee picked up. The scammer on the other end, spoofed their number and pretended to be a Lansing Police officer.
“The fake police officer convinced them to turn over all of the register money and tips for the day because of this fraud investigation they had convinced them taking place,” Nader.
But it didn't stop there. Nader said the fake officer also told the employee to hand over the money from their personal checking account.
From there, Nader says the employee made their way to a Walgreens about a mile away and transferred about $1000 to the scammer.
Ingham county sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth said this type of scam is far too common, but there are ways to protect yourself. Like calling the law enforcement agency yourself before proceeding with the conversation and requesting basic information.
When it comes to Strange Matter recovering they're depending on customers to help them out, like they always do, buying one cup of coffee at a time.
“The community has always just like been there for us,” Nader said.
