Police help recover over $100,000 for scam victim in Gwinnett County

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A woman from New York is accused of scamming a Gwinnett County woman out of thousands of dollars.

Detectives helped return more than $100,000 in stolen cash to a victim of “business email compromise,” according to the Gwinnett County Police Department. This type of scan typically targets businesses that regularly send large wire transfers.

In this case, officials said the victim received an email in December 2022 from a real estate closing attorney’s office. The victim was in the process of purchasing a home, and the scammer portrayed themselves as her closing attorney in the emails. The scammer directed the victim to send more than $130,000 through a wire transfer to finalize the sale of the victim’s new home, the department said.

After sending the money, detectives said the victim learned that the funds were not sent to her closing attorney but to a JP Morgan Chase bank account in New York.

Detectives said they discovered the account was controlled by Edina Winter of Glen Cove, New York. They contacted the Glen Cove Police Department, which confirmed Winter had no association with the sale of the house and did have the victim’s money, according to police.

Winter was charged in New York and returned $45,092.55, which she allegedly used from the funds, police said. With the assistance of JP Morgan Chase, police were able to seize the remaining $86,000 and return it to the victim.

Police ask anyone with information to share about the case to call GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters could receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.