Police: Pigeon Drop Scammers in Operation at San Angelo's Big Box Stores

The San Angelo police are alerting citizens of a gang, possibly made up of three black males in their mid-20s to early-30s, orchestrating a “pigeon drop scam” on unsuspecting good samaritans.

The police have reports of at least two incidents at two local Walmarts where the scammers are targeting men exiting the store.

Here’s a sketch of how it works:

A black man who speaks with a foreign accent approaches the victim. The black man asks for directions to Walgreens, but then offers to pay the victim for a ride to the drug store from Walmart. At some point, the scammer points out another black man, unknown to the victim. A third scammer appears in a vehicle, and police report that in one instance, the scammer made off with “several hundred dollars.” In another incident, police said the victim caught on to the scam and refused to cooperate.

Sound confusing? It is. The description above is not quite clear, so we have provided a link (click here) that better describes the process. The information above, however, is what's taking place in San Angelo.

Overall, the scam is described as a “confidence trick” where the mark, or victim, is identified as the “pigeon.”

Don’t be a pigeon!

Scammer One is described as a black make in his mid-20 to early-30s wearing casual clothes. His accomplice on the ground is another black make, same age, wearing a tie, slacks, and possibly a lab coat. The third scammer is the driver. There was no description given of him, other than “black male.”

Police report that the scammers are operating out of an early-2000s model blue Chevrolet Trailblazer.

The SAPD is asking citizens who encounter these scammers to call police dispatch at 325-657-4315.