Full Notification

On Saturday, December 28, 2019, at 4:30 p.m., a female employee of a small business located in the 400 block of Fair Oaks Avenue received a phone call from an unknown male caller. The caller told the employee to remove money from the store’s cash register and leave the building or she would be harmed. The employee complied, activating the robbery alarm system as she left the business. In fear for her life and the safety of her co-workers, she stayed on the phone with the male caller. She was ultimately directed to send money through a Western Union transfer to a location in Mexico.

South Pasadena Police arrived at the initial business minutes after the alarm activation. Officers learned the female employee had left the store with the money; however, no further information could be provided. Officers searched the area and found the female employee safe and unharmed, at another business location within the City.

The South Pasadena Police Department encourages the community to be aware of these types of telephone scam. In this case, the caller’s telephone number originated from Mexico, and the wire transfer was sent there as well.

If you have any information to this case, or have been a victim of similar circumstances, please contact the South Pasadena Detective Bureau at (626) 403-7297. Sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s scam alerts at ftc.gov/scams.