Two women arrested for elaborate phone scam that led to $39,000 theft

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Rhonnie Shania Daniels, 20, of Riviera Beach, and Yudalys Martinez-Garcia, 20, of Williston, were arrested this morning and charged with grand theft over $20,000 and engaging in a scheme to defraud and obtain property.

Florida Credit Union (FCU) first noticed the suspicious activity when the two suspects tried to send $17,500 via wire transfer; the transaction was flagged as fraudulent, and an investigation began. The credit union’s investigators learned that the victim had received a text message on November 2 from an unknown sender who claimed to be a representative of the credit union. The victim opened a link in the text, giving the sender access to his online banking account; the sender changed the email address associated with the bank account. $39,000 was then moved from the victim’s account into an FCU account owned by Daniels and Martinez-Garcia via member-to-member transfers.

The two defendants reportedly went to a Gainesville FCU branch on November 9 and withdrew $9,000 from their account. Later in the day, they withdrew $10,000. On November 10, the two defendants reportedly tried to send $17,500 via wire transfer, but that transaction was denied. The credit union recovered $20,000 of the stolen money and returned it to the victim’s account.

The arrest report notes that the extent of the defendants’ involvement in the scam is unknown, but the money could not have been removed without their assistance. Additional charges are pending after a search warrant is obtained for the defendants’ phones and computers.

Prosecutors recommended that bail be set at $30,000 for both defendants, but Judge James Colaw increased Martinez-Garcia’s bail to $40,000. A different judge (no name provided) signed the warrant for Daniels and left bail at the recommended $30,000.