An 81-year-old Village of Jackson resident reported losing $49,800, after falling victim to an online scam. The resident had clicked on what appeared to be an antivirus notification on his computer. Unfortunately, it was a scammer who eventually convinced the victim to visit his bank and wire nearly $50,000 to a Bank of America account. Once the money was transferred, the scammer disappeared.

Detective Gerke, of the Jackson Police Department, was assigned the case and went to work trying to track down the stolen money. Her investigation revealed that the bank account had previously been used to transfer funds to China. Investigating financial crimes involving different jurisdictions and international transactions can be extremely challenging, according to the Jackson Police Department.

Through extensive investigative work, subpoenas, and financial records, she discovered that $44,020 of the victim's money remained in the account. She obtained and executed a seizure warrant, resulting in that money being returned. 

Detective Gerke's investigation also led her to identify and assist another fraud victim in New Jersey.

This isn't the first time Detective Gerke has successfully recovered a substantial amount of money for a fraud victim, according to the Jackson Police Department. Earlier this year, she recovered nearly $25,000 for another resident in Jackson who had been scammed.

That's nearly $70,000 recovered for fraud victims in just a few months.