Alleged scammer of elderly man bragged on social media, more victims sought: BSO

A man accused of preying on a senior citizen through a common bank phone scam allegedly bragged about the crime on social media, as Broward detectives continue to investigate whether more victims may have been swindled.

Omari Burke, 22, was arrested last week by the Broward Sheriff’s Office after a 74-year-old man from Alabama was duped into sending more than $20,000 after receiving a call from someone claiming to work for Wells Fargo’s fraud department.

The caller told the victim that someone was attempting to withdraw a large sum from his account and instructed him to verify the balance, withdraw the money, and send it by FedEx to addresses in Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach.

Authorities said Burke picked up the cash packages and later bragged about them on Instagram.

A photo from the social media post released by BSO on Thursday showed someone handling envelopes of cash while sitting in what appears to be a BMW.

BSO also released audio of the alleged victim speaking about how he was scammed.

“They had me running all over town and checking out my accounts and getting the deposits, figuring out what was in my checking account and all that,” he said. “I don’t know, I just, I was panicked I guess, they sent me messages that looked authentic from Wells Fargo, the whole nine yards.”

The man said the scam drained his savings account.

Burke was arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Sept. 16 on charges of obtaining property over $20,000 by fraud, money laundering, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, defrauding a financial institution and grand theft on a person 65 years of age or older.

In an arrest warrant, investigators described Burke as a danger to the community, particularly the elderly, noting he has a prior criminal history of fraudulent activity in Broward County.

Detectives believe Burke and others may have used this organized bank fraud scheme to target senior citizens on other occasions, and the investigation into these incidents is active and ongoing,” BSO officials said.