UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A Union County nurse who was on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, serving in field hospitals in the Carolinas and New York is facing a new situation: She was scammed out of $13,000.
And this act of fraud was bold, as Corinne Chausse came face-to-face with the thief. It all started when she got a voicemail from what she believed was the sheriff's office. She verified the number, verified the officer supposedly leaving the message and even verified the name used to match staff records at the Union County Sheriff's Office.
It wasn't enough.
"He said I was served with a summons to appear as a witness and did not appear," Chausse said. "So, the judge issued a bench warrant."
Chausse said the man gave her specific instructions to avoid going to jail. In hindsight, it was a giant red flag.
"Go to a bail bonds place, which I looked up again, it was a legitimate bail bond," she said. "And that was in the actual building that he directed me to. He said an agent will come out, you give them the money and they'll write you a receipt."
Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. When Chausse met the man at the bail bond station, he gave her what she thought was a legitimate account. It was through Venmo. She wired the money and went back to work. Hours later, Chausse felt something wasn't right. She reported the situation to the sheriff's office and investigators are now working to get her money back.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
"Looking into evidence, a lot of that requires search warrants through internet providers," Lt. James Maye said.
Maye added that the process is lengthy, and has a few tips for anyone who suspects a scammer is trying to con them. The first tip is to be leery of anyone threatening your arrest over the phone.
"If someone calls you representing that you have a warrant for your arrest, that's not normally how that process works," Maye said. "If we have a warrant for your arrest, more than likely, we're just going to come knock on your door."
As for Chausse, though, she kept her documentation. She has all of the numbers and names used, exactly what she was told. All the pieces are integral to finding the man she met and possibly others involved.
"As a health care provider, that's what I'm here to do is fix things," she said.
WCNC Charlotte first met Chausse in May 2020. After spending 31 days in a COVID-19 field hospital in New York, she returned to Atrium Health-Union to discover her friend Donna nominated her to be the Hyundai Hometown Hero. Her inspirational story of hard work against difficult circumstances led to Chausse being awarded a new Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. When Chausse realized she'd been scammed, she chose to contact WCNC Charlotte because she trusted our team to tell her story.
While she's not sure what her next steps are, she has a singular goal.
"To get the word out in a much more public forum so that people will be aware of this," she said.
If there's an issue going on in your community we want to know about it. Contact Kia Murray at kmurray@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam
Emotional appeal - Any pitch that ratchets up your emotion will inhibit your rational judgment.
Sense of urgency - You MUST act now, or else.
Request for unorthodox payment - Gift cards, prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, etc.
Explanations that don't ring true - If your new “landlord” can’t show you the inside of the house, that could be because they don’t own it.
You won, now pay up - It’s not a prize if you have to pay for it. Taxes, fees, shipping, whatever.
Too good to be true - That’s because it’s not true. Sorry, your long-lost relative didn’t die, leaving you millions. That car you bought online for a third of its Kelly Blue Book value doesn’t really exist. The son of a billionaire diamond broker didn’t “swipe right” on you and fall instantly in love. That work-at-home job paying you hundreds of dollars an hour for stuffing envelopes isn’t real.