“Pigeon Drop” Scammers Take $15,000 from Brentwood Woman

Two con artists brought the “Pigeon Drop” scam, unfortunately, back to Brentwood last week, making away with more than $15,000 of their victim’s money.

The suspects were described both as black women between the ages of 40 and 50, about 140 pounds and 5’5″ with medium length hair.

The scam usually involves a con artist approaching a victim with a sum of money that was “found” or needs to be accessed. The victim is tricked into providing their own money to facilitate the process. Usually a second con artist approaches while the first con artist and victim are talking, making the situation seem more legitimate. Often it involves the suspect approaching the intended victim, showing them a bag of money they “just found,” and telling the intended target they can split the money if the victim gives them money as a sign of good faith.

The Brentwood woman conned last Thursday was approached in the parking lot next to Chick-Fil-A at 330 Franklin Road by a woman claiming to have found a box full of money that someone dropped, according to Brentwood Police. They discussed what to do and how to split the money, while another con-woman walked up and joined the conversation.

The victim was convinced to withdraw more than $15,000 from her bank account as a way to split the found money.

After she gave them the money, they left on a pretense as part of the scam and never returned.

“If a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is,” the Brentwood Police wrote on Facebook. “If you are approached by someone claiming to have found something valuable and wanting ‘good faith money,’ get as much information as possible, including names, phone numbers, license plates, etc. and call your local police to report it before giving them any money.”