Southwest Florida man loses $50K to $100K in gambling scam

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Naples, FL - A Southwest Florida man has fallen victim to a gambling scam that cost him between $50,000 and $100,000.

According to the Naples Police Department, the victim reportedly placed tens of thousands of dollars worth of bets on the "March Madness" basketball tournament earlier this year.

The bookie told the suspect the bets were "guaranteed" and that the bets would "double your money."

However police say that when the victim tried to withdraw the money that was placed, the bookie was gone; along with the bets that were supposedly placed.

Police say they're unsure whether the scammer is still in Collier County.

Naples Police Department Lieutenant Bryan McGinn tells NBC 2 News "if it’s too good to be true – it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Lt. McGinn tells NBC 2 News the suspect "got them to basically give them money. By doing so you just did that – you essentially gave them money. It’s gonna be hard to prove, hard to investigate, that a he said she said event occurred."

“Be cognizant of who you do business with, make sure you have all the proper entities, titles, taxes, insurance, and you’ll limit involvement in things like this,” said Lt. McGinn.

Police are continuing to investigate.


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