CHICAGO – It’s the biggest scam in years and there’s no indication it will go away anytime soon. What is it? Schemers use the banking apps on their victims’ phones to transfer large sums of money to themselves.
They usually approach people on the street and claim to be raising money for charity or by sharing a heartbreaking story about a seriously ill child in need of money.
When their targets declare that they have run out of money, the scammers are prepared: “Do you have Venmo? We can take Zelle too!’
When a target takes out their phone and unlocks it to make a contribution, a number of things can happen. One of the bad guys can take the phone and transfer money, while an accomplice prevents the victim from intervening. Or a schemer can offer to make the transfer himself (“It’s easier”). But instead of transferring the five or ten dollars the victim agreed to, the man transfers hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Theft crews operate in Lakeview all year round, but lately they have been extremely active. On Sunday afternoon, two scammers who promised to take just $5 attempted to transfer $3,000 to themselves at Diversey and Sheffield, according to reporting by SpotNewsOnIG.
Chicago police detectives did just that delivered successfully costs in these types of cases.
The most recent person charged is Jamie Miller, 30 years old. Prosecutors have charged him with fraud and theft of $500 to $10,000.
In court filings, prosecutors say Miller wired $1,900 through Zelle on Jan. 7 from a 22-year-old man outside Shake Shack, 3519 North Clark, in Wrigleyville. Court records do not say exactly how investigators believe Miller gained control of the man’s phone. However, CPD warned in January that money transfer scammers had been operating outside the Shake Shack location.
About two weeks later, Miller made headlines when prosecutors charged him with murdering a concertgoer outside the House of Blues on Nov. 15, 2023. During a detention hearing in January, prosecutors said Miller solicited money outside the venue for a “fictitious college basketball program.” when the victim, 47-year-old Andrew Hulburt, cursed at him.
Miller responded by walking up to Hulburt and punching him once in the left temple, causing Hulburt to fall backwards and hit his head on the sidewalk, according to the state’s detention request. Hulburt never regained consciousness and the medical examiner determined he suffered from a dissected vertebral artery.
A judge detained Miller during his first court appearance. But Miller with success appealed that decision and is currently under electronic surveillance.
In his appeal, Miller’s attorney argued that he could not reasonably have expected that a single punch to another healthy man would result in death or great bodily harm. The appeals court judges agreed and sent the arrest decision back to the judge for reconsideration, citing extensive case law from Illinois.
According to the appeals court decision, Miller’s attorney “challenged” the state’s claim that Miller raised money for a “fictitious” charity. The defense said the state was trying to “create the impression that he is doing something illegal there.”
“The counselor has made that clear [the] suspect was part of a violence prevention program and that he stood outside the concert venue to raise money for that program,” the judges wrote.
Prosecutors asked the judge who heard the murder case, Maria Kuriakos-Ciesil, to revoke Miller’s pretrial release based on the new charges. She rejected that request.
Original reporting you won’t see anywhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
