Security

Philly man scammed into depositing cash at ATM

Photo: Adobe Stock

April 24, 2026

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A 72-year old man from Philadelphia was scammed out of $13,000 by a scammer based out of Florida. He received a text claiming to be from his bank about a fraudulent transaction. From there, he was told he needed to move money into a new account by who he thought was the FBI, according to a report by NBC Philadelphia.

The man deposited the cash into an ATM which went to a Wells Fargo account. He reported the incident to the police, who tracked the account to Patrick Vassor, 41, of Pompano Beach, Florida. They arrested Vassor and are charging him with conspiracy, theft and other charges.

"Scammers, who are becoming highly sophisticated, routinely target elders because they tend to have more assets," Larry Krasner, district attorney for Philadelphia, said in the report. "This is not about being embarrassed or ashamed — it is about working together to support victims of crime and hold bad actors accountable for their actions. Our office remains deeply committed to protecting senior citizens in Philadelphia."

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