Rare win: Hampton officers intercept mailed cash before scammers receive it

HAMPTON, S.C. (WTOC) - Hampton Police Department officers intercepted a package containing cash that a resident had mailed to scammers, returning the funds to the victim before delivery.

Officials say yhe incident began February 20, 2026, when a Hampton resident received a call from someone claiming to be a bank executive security officer. The caller told the victim that his account had been flagged as a target of an inside bank fraud investigation and instructed him to withdraw cash and mail it to a provided address.

The caller said the money would be tracked to identify the employee responsible for the alleged embezzlement. The caller had enough information about the victim that the victim believed the call was legitimate and sent cash via the U.S. Postal Service.

The victim realized what had occurred and filed a report on February 23, 2026.

Lt. Brad Drawdy and Lt. Loadholt began working the case and contacted the Hampton USPS branch to obtain a tracking number. According to the Hampton Police Department, the package was already set to be delivered within hours.

Officers initiated a USPS package intercept, contacted local authorities in the destination area, and the package containing the cash was successfully intercepted and returned to the victim.

Hampton police said this type of outcome is rare in financial scam cases and urged residents to contact their bank directly by visiting a branch in person, or to contact local police, if they suspect a scam or receive a suspicious call.

The department thanked the Hampton USPS branch and law enforcement partners for their cooperation in recovering the victim’s funds.