ACSO - News Release

PITTSBURGH, PA - This afternoon, Sheriff’s Office personnel received a phone call from a woman who had believed that she had been scammed. The woman stated that a man with a Middle Eastern accent contacted her claiming that he was an attorney named Kevin Luitz from Cash Advance and she needs to pay a debt, immediately or sheriff’s deputies would arrest her. The woman believed that this man was a real attorney because she had taken out a payday loan three weeks prior. The woman sent an $800.00 wire through Western Union to a Jana Lee Kent in Pittsburgh, PA, although Luitz’s phone number was based out of San Francisco, CA. The following day, the same man contacted this woman stating that the wire did not go through and she must do it again. After some suspicion, the victim contacted the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office about Luitz’s calls to which she found out was fraudulent.

Sheriff Mullen would like to stress that the Sheriff’s Office will never arrest anyone based on a civil issue such as the one described. If you receive a call like this, tell the caller that you will meet them at the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office to make the transaction. At this point, they will realize you are on to them and should stop calling. If you have already wired money, please contact the Attorney General’s Office to begin an investigation. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection can be reached at 1-800-441-2555. Also, you may want to contact the USPS Inspector General at 1-888-USPS-OIG.