Is Pigeon Drop or "Found Money" Scam Actually Considered Theft?

It should be, but even seasoned police officers can be unfamiliar with a lot of the purportedly victimless scams out there, such as the pigeon drop.

However, vulnerable elderly victims can lose $1000's through cash advances on their credit cards, or via debit card withdrawals, which often occurs after driving a total stranger to a bank branch ATM.

Based on news reports, the average loss appears to come in at around $5000 but has reached over $15 thousand on several occasions.

And while some still see the victims of this white collar street crime as deserving their fate for being foolish or greedy, it is still a criminal act of fraud by deception.

Instead of robbing the victim by force they are doing the same through trickery, artifice and deceit.

The penalties for pigeon drop perpetrators should be the same as for robbery, not for purse snatching. They put victims at risk of personal harm as well as financial loss.

If scammers are caught they may actually face charges of felony theft by fraud and attempted felony theft by fraud.

One group was taken into custody on state jail felony charges of using false statements to obtain property or credit and engaging in organised crime.

One confidence scammer was held on a federal warrant for impersonating a federal officer in connection with another scam committed against a 77-year-old woman, according to the FBI.

See also Pigeon Drop Scam, Jamaican Switch Scam, Latin Lotto, South African Switch, Credit Card Liability