?SALISBURY – A Salisbury woman told police she was conned out of $600 after a woman approached her in the parking lot of Big Lots Wednesday.
The 28-year-old called police from the parking lot of the West Jake Alexander Boulevard business about 1 p.m. But the alleged con artist wasn’t found.
A police report said a woman believed to be in her 50s approached the victim in the parking lot and said she had found a large sum of money. The suspect “told her she found a wallet in the parking lot and that the wallet contained $45,000,” said Salisbury Police Capt. Shelia Lingle.
Along with the money, the suspect said, was a note stating, “This is the money for the last two races.”
Lingle said the woman identified herself as a manager at Big Lots and said that the store would give her $1,300 of the money if she helped her. But first the suspect needed money.
Lingle said the victim was asked to give $600 to the woman “so her business could record the serial numbers to determine if the found money was stolen. “The victim went to the ATM and withdrew the money.
When she went into Big Lots to provide them with her contact information, a store employee advised her that there was no such policy. The suspect had also vanished from the parking lot.
Lingle said customers and residents should be aware of anyone approaching people in business parking lots.
“They should always err on the side of caution with something like this,” Lingle said. “If it sounds to good to be true, it is.”
The woman was described as wearing a black dress. No other description was provided.
Anyone with information on the scam is asked to contact the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.