The caller allegedly said he had been arrested after he was involved in a crash that severely injured a pregnant woman.
A second man claiming to be a court employee also called the Englewood resident and directed him on how to pay, police said.
A courier arrived at the home just before 4 p.m. The resident handed the courier an envelope with $10,000 to the courier while on the phone with the scammer.
A family member contacted an Englewood officer, who was able to use a neighbor’s security video, City of Englewood surveillance cameras and police database to find the courier’s vehicle and an Uber driver’s phone number, according to police.
The driver was 30 miles north of Columbus and on their way to Cleveland to deliver the package.
They returned to Englewood hours later with the unopened envelope containing $10,000.
The cash was returned to the victim, who had received an additional four scam calls that day, police said.
“We know this isn’t an isolated incident as we’ve had the exact same scam call received by another elderly resident earlier this summer, and that resident just happened to stop at the police station on the drive to the bank to withdraw the cash,” said Englewood police Chief Corey Follick.
Residents should be aware and speak to family members, especially older adults, who may be vulnerable to fraud and scams.
No law enforcement department or court agency will call or text a person for fines or bail, police said.
Anyone who receives a similar call should immediately call their local police department to verify the request.
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