Police say that a 74-year-old Ohio woman who fell for an online scam tried to fix her money problems by robbing a credit union.
Cops in Fairfield Township, Ohio, arrested Ann Mayers at her home in Hamilton after they said she robbed an AurGroup Credit Union. A woman came into the credit union on April 19 and “demanded money while displaying a handgun,” according to a Facebook post from the cops.
The post says that police found Mayers’ 2014 silver Hyundai Elantra, which she was reportedly driving during the theft. The criminal Mayers admitted to the crime when police arrived at the house, and she was then arrested, according to the police department.
The Facebook post said that Fairfield Township police detectives found a gun in Mayers’ car.
Police say Mayers had never been in trouble with the law before the suspected theft. The police say she is being charged with aggravated robbery with a firearm and tampering with evidence, both of which are crimes.
From Butler County court records, it’s not clear if Mayers hired a lawyer for her criminal case.
Is Ann Mayers the target of a scam?
When police talked to Mayers’ family, they learned she might have been a victim of a scam because they told them she was sending money to a “unknown individual,” Sgt. Brandon McCroskey wrote in an email to USA TODAY.
“Some people might see her as a “victim” in that way.” “Unfortunately, Ann chose to hurt other people in the bank by robbing it with a gun as a way to deal with her problems,” McCroskey said.
McCroskey said that Mayers’ situation was “very sad and unfortunate” if it was true.Regardless, Mayer “planned this theft because evidence shows she took off her license plate and tried to remove a bumper sticker,” the sergeant said.
“She also reportedly spoke to family members about robbing banks in the days leading up to the robbery but the family did not take her comments seriously,” McCroskey said.
From what I can tell, Mayers is being held at the Butler County Jail right now. The woman will stay in jail until her first court date, according to cops.
