Leave no stone unturned . . .

Over my years investigating fraud and money laundering as a special agent for the U.S. government, I thought I had seen it all. This case was different. In just more than one year the suspects had received almost $10 million in investor funds and then vanished without leaving a trace. Except for one little piece of evidence . . .  

It started out like other fraud schemes. The suspects placed advertisements in local newspapers around the country promising huge returns on their investments. All people had to do was call the telephone number listed in the ad, and a representative would give them the information that they would need to get in on an investment of a lifetime.

The scheme was simple. For just $1,500, the investor could purchase an ATM machine that would be placed in a casino, fast food restaurant or other retail establishment and would earn the investor about $1 to $2 per ATM transaction. Even better, the company would do all of the work maintaining the ATMs.

The scheme worked so well that in just more than a year the suspects had received almost $10 million from more than 300 investors. Many victims purchased multiple machines; most were hard-working individuals who invested their life savings and retirement accounts.