Deputy makes traffic stop, stops scammer from defrauding driver

AVON PARK, Fla. - It started as a routine traffic stop for speeding, but Deputy Garrison with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office quickly learned the woman he pulled over was in the process of being scammed by someone on the phone.

The woman was on her way to Walgreens to purchase a $200 gift card for the scammer, who told her she needed to do so to handle a disputed charge on her Amazon account, but when the deputy pulled her over he instantly knew something was up.

"It looked like she was panicking so I asked her, 'Are you having a medical emergency? Is everything OK?' She said 'yes' and then explained that she had Amazon on the phone," Highlands County Deputy John Garrison said.

The woman thought she was contesting a $2,000 fraudulent purchase on her Amazon account. The scammer told her purchasing a $200 gift card would resolve the dispute.

"She thought she was saving $1,800 by doing that. The way he explained it, was she would get the $200 paid back," Garrisons said.

Deputy Garrison decided to jump on the call and put a stop to the scam.

"This is Deputy Garrison. I work for the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. I actually pulled her over for speeding and intercepted your scam," Garrison can be heard saying in the video recorded by his dash camera.

The scammer quickly became defensive.

"You should be ashamed of yourself because you're not doing your job properly. You are the scammer. You are the scammer. You are not doing your job properly," the scammer said.

The woman thanked Deputy Garrison, who did not issue her ticket. He says he has been in touch with the woman and plans to speak to her community about how to protect themselves from scams.