A 29-year-old woman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was charged with first-degree larceny for allegedly defrauding a Darien, Connecticut, resident of $45,000 by posing as a bank employee, according to Darien police.
Police provided details of the incident and investigation:
On September 29, 2023, the victim reported receiving a call from a woman claiming to be an employee at her bank. Identifying herself as Gabriella Rodrigues, the caller warned the victim of potential fraud on her account. Trusting the caller, the victim provided account details, which Rodrigues used to establish new online login credentials. Shortly after, the victim checked her account and discovered that $45,000 had been transferred without her consent. She immediately alerted the police.
Through investigation, a Darien detective tracked the transfer to a bank account under Rodrigues’s name and verified her identity with video footage showing her at the bank while conducting the fraudulent transactions. Rodrigues was contacted but claimed to be a secondary victim, promising documentation that was never provided. Consequently, Darien police secured an arrest warrant on April 29 with a $150,000 bond set by the court.
Rodrigues surrendered at Darien Police Headquarters on May 10, posted bail, and is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on May 28.
