DAVIE, Fla. — A man was arrested Friday in Davie for his role in a six-figure bank scam targeting a local woman, police said.
Authorities identified him as Miles Friday, 23, of Hollywood. He remained in Broward jail on three felony charges as of Wednesday. Police said he admitted to posing as representatives from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and several banks over the phone to carry out the scheme.
According to a Davie Police Department arrest report, the scam began on Dec. 29 when the victim received a call from someone claiming to be with U.S. Bank, asking if she had authorized a transaction at a GameStop in Dallas. After she said no, the caller said he was escalating the matter to the “fraud department,” and a man named “Connor Wilson” got on the line — actually Friday.
Police said Friday rattled off recent transactions the woman had made, convincing her the call was legitimate. He claimed someone was trying to conduct $45,000 and $55,000 wire transfers from her Fidelity Bank accounts.
Friday persuaded the victim that she could help by conducting wire transfers to federal government accounts, promising that the money would be returned once the FDIC completed its “investigation.” The woman wired $45,000 to a man in Skokie, Illinois, and later transferred $55,000 from her Fidelity account to her Truist account, then withdrew the cash.
Authorities said Friday stayed on the phone for hours as she conducted each transaction, instructing her not to tell anyone at the bank, claiming employees could be involved in the “fraudulent” transfers. At one point, he even suggested her husband might be involved.
Friday had the woman visit multiple Truist branches in Broward County to withdraw cash, which she then placed into Uber Courier vehicles he arranged. Overall, the victim lost $203,000 before police got involved.
Police set up a sting at the Truist branch at 13636 W. State Road 84 in Davie. The victim was asked to withdraw $30,000, but detectives provided a bag of fake money instead. They followed the courier to the Palm Trace Landings Apartments and arrested Friday as he tried to retrieve the cash. The victim later identified him as the person she had handed money to.
Friday admitted to posing as an FDIC representative and said he was “one of many people” speaking with the victim over the phone, working with an associate named “Loafer.” He told police he had been running scams like this for six to seven months but was caught for the first time. “Out of every 10 customers they call, nearly five fall for the scam,” the report states.
Friday was booked on three fraud charges and remains at Broward Main Jail on a $90,000 bond. Authorities noted that any bond he posts must come from a legitimate source before he can be released.
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