A Sitka elder recently lost thousands of dollars in a fraud scam, according to the Sitka Police Department.
Police Chief Chad Goeden said they got a call from the woman just before 11 a.m. last Wednesday (8-27-25), saying she received a call from somebody claiming to be a fraud investigator with Wells Fargo Bank. The scammer convinced her to physically mail them $40,000 in cash.
“Obviously, once you mail cash, you’re never going to see it again. It’s not traceable or trackable. And so she is out that money, which is just tragic,” said Goeden.
Goeden said the initial responding officer is investigating where the money was sent, but has not made much headway. He advised Sitkans to stay alert if they receive any suspicious messages.
“Anytime you receive a call or a text or an email or a message from anybody pretending to be any kind of financial institution or saying that you owe money or saying that there is a warrant for your arrest, you should automatically assume that it’s a scam,” said Goeden.
Goeden said Sitkans should hang up, look up the name and number of the institution online, and give them a call to see if the concern is real.
“No legitimate institution will ever tell you to send gift cards or send cash or send cryptocurrency to them as a form of payment,” said Goeden. “That is always a scam.”
Goeden cautioned that elders falling victim to financial scams is a growing trend across the country. He advised Sitkans to sit down with elders in their lives to discuss these scams to help them be aware.
“I know that it can sometimes be touchy to talk about money with family members, but we certainly don’t want this to happen,” said Goeden. “It happens often and we don’t want it to happen anymore.”
Goeden said this is an ongoing investigation.
