On September 2, 2025, police in Vernon Hills, Illinois arrested 54-year-old Wheeling resident Dmytro Kariev for serving as a money mule for a Social Security scam, where
- The scammers will send fraudulent emails claiming there was an unauthorized withdrawal from their victims’ bank account, urging them to call a designated “suppoat” line.
- When called, the scammer will tell their victim, in this case an elderly female, that their Social Security Number was used to purchase firearms from out-of-state.
- The victim will be asked to withdraw $20,000 from their bank account, and lie to bank staff in the process, and hand it off to a designated courier or money mule, posing as an agent with the United States Social Security Administration.
- Once the scammers receive the money, they will demand another $7,000 from their victim before their phone lines were deactivated.
Kariev was arrested and charged with Class 2 felony theft, though he has since been released pending an appearance at the Lake County Courthouse on September 16.
