By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Two Georgia residents are facing charges in Alabama after police say they ran an organized scam that targeted elderly people, tricking them into opening cellphone accounts and then abandoning them at Walmart.
According to the Cullman Police Department, officers arrested Kevonta Doneterrece Price and Tiffany Carter on Friday, both from Covington, Georgia. Investigators say the pair spent several weeks approaching elderly victims in the Cullman area, convincing them to get into their vehicle under false pretenses.
Police say the suspects then took the victims to various Walmart locations and used their personal information to fraudulently open AT&T accounts, purchasing new iPhones and service plans in the victims’ names. The victims were later left responsible for large bills arriving by mail.
In many cases, authorities said, the victims were abandoned at Walmart with no way to get home.
On Friday, Cullman patrol officers and Investigator Nick Watkins located the suspects at the Walmart on Olive St. S.W., where they were reportedly attempting to exploit another elderly woman.
Price and Carter are charged with second-degree financial exploitation of the elderly and third-degree attempted theft of property. Police say more charges are expected as the investigation expands.
Authorities are urging residents to warn elderly family members, neighbors, and church members about scams that prey on vulnerable individuals.
Anyone with information or who believes they may have been victimized is asked to contact the Cullman Police Department at 256-734-1434.