COLUMBIA, SC — Authorities are looking for a man who tried to impersonate a police officer Monday afternoon in Columbia.
The impersonator approached a senior outside his Oak Street home near Benedict College about 2:30 p.m. and told the man he worked with crime prevention. The suspect told the senior his name was “Ferguson” and that there had been drug activity in the area, Columbia Police said.
The impersonator told the man that he had information on two drug suspects living in the senior’s home. He also claimed that the victim’s bank account had been hacked and someone had tried to steal thousands of dollars from the man.
The senior was then offered a ride to the bank after the impersonator told him he wanted to talk there, police said. When the senior declined, the man drove away in a light-colored Mercedes-Benz sedan.
The senior asked the impersonator for his identification, but the suspect said he left it in his car. He did show the man a blue and gold badge bearing the words “Crime Suppression,” police said.
Police are still looking for the impersonator and are asking people who might have had a similar encounter to contact the police department at (803) 545-3500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or www.sccrimestoppers.com.
