Scam victim recovers $3,500 in cash thanks to quick action

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A Cuyahoga County woman recovered $3,500 in cash her husband mailed to a scammer in Florida, thanks to quick action from the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad.

“I honestly thought it was a done deal. I didn’t think we’d ever see that money,” the woman said. She did not want to be identified.

The woman, said her husband Bob believed he had won $15 million and a car from Publishers Clearing House.

“He had told me that he needed to go to the post office and try to stop something that he had sent. And that’s when I found out that he had sent $3,500 in cash in an envelope to these people in Florida,” she said.

The scammers told her husband the money was an IRS registration fee required to claim his winnings.

Terry Sullivan, a Scam Squad investigator and former Postal Inspector, said sending cash should have raised concerns.

“Never mail cash. Only scammers will ask you to mail cash,” Sullivan said.

Publishers Clearing House declared bankruptcy in 2025.

The victim called the Scam Squad within about a day of the package being mailed. Investigators tracked the package to a distribution center in Riviera Beach, Florida.

“It was on the truck to be delivered to the scammer that day,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the victim’s quick action was critical.

“The local post office called the carrier and told them not to deliver the package and to bring it back,” Sullivan said.

The package was sent back to Cleveland, where Sullivan and a local postal inspector returned it in person to the victims.

“I know that there are a lot of people who have been scammed out of way more than us. It’s horrid that it even happens, but that’s a lot of money for us,” said the victim.

Sullivan said the recovery was rare.

“It’s kind of like a home run. It really is because so many times you miss the gap. They call you too late and it’s already been delivered,” Sullivan said.

After the delivery was diverted, the scammers continued calling the victim’s cell phone, and were tracking the package from Cleveland to Florida and back.

The scammers called 10 times a day, trying to convince Bob to send money again.

Ann said she feels lucky despite the ordeal.

“I did win. I beat them, and that to me speaks volumes. They didn’t get over on us,” Ann said.

Sullivan said the address in Florida where the cash was mailed was likely the address of another victim who was unknowingly complicit in the scam. He said it was out of Cuyahoga County’s jurisdiction and was the first time a package like that had gone to that address.

The victim has now set up guardrails, blocking calls and limiting her husband’s access to their money.