The Chatham County Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division charged 21-year-old Jamal Pierre Louis with felony theft by deception following a complex and thorough investigation that stretched over eight months.
Louis was taken into custody in Florida by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office on July 31, 2026, and extradited to Chatham County on August 16, 2026, where he was booked into the Chatham County Detention Center.
The Scam
The investigation began in January 2026 when Chatham County Police Department patrol officers responded to a report of a victim who had transferred more than $35,000 from their bank account after receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be with the FDIC, the federal agency that automatically insures bank deposits of member financial institutions. After telling the victim that there was an issue with their account, the unknown caller went on to convince the victim to transfer large amounts of cash in two separate transactions. By the time the call was over, the victim had transferred $35,565 dollars to the scammer.
From The Chief
“We have placed a major focus on both solving and preventing financial crimes, and this arrest shows that we are willing to put in the months of hard work that it sometimes takes to bring one of these cases to its conclusion,” said Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley. “And this case is a reminder that we all need to be suspicious the moment anyone calls unsolicited to discuss money. We cannot be too careful.”
Safety Tips
The Chatham County Police Department reminds everyone to take three quick steps to lessen your chances of being victimized:
🛑STOP: Pause long enough to take a breath and calm down when you are approached. Many scammers rely on a sense of urgency or fear to lower the guard of their victims. Stopping the interaction for a few moments will help you calm down and think more clearly.
✅CHECK: Independently verify what you are being told or what you are reading. You should never have to make an immediate decision – no matter what financial “emergency” the scammer insists is happening.
🔒PROTECT: Guard your personal and financial information and never give any of it out to an unexpected caller or through an unsolicited text or email.
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