A fake Apple support pop-up on Jan. 29 allegedly led a Key Biscayne woman to call a number and be transferred to someone posing as bank security, who persuaded her to withdraw $20,000 and send it by Uber to a Mobil gas station. Surveillance footage later showed 34-year-old Wilmer Vasquez receiving the package; he was arrested more than four months later after an NCIC vehicle alert and faces multiple fraud and theft charges. Authorities stress these are allegations and the FBI warns people not to call numbers shown in pop-up alerts, advising contact only through official channels.
Fake Apple Pop-Up Prompts Woman To Send $20,000 By Uber; Suspect Arrested After NCIC Vehicle Lead
Image Credit: WPLG Local 10 News/X.
A computer pop-up disguised as an Apple support alert allegedly convinced a Key Biscayne woman to withdraw $20,000 in cash, place it in a box, and send it via an Uber courier to a Mobil gas station, police say. The victim reported the incident on Jan. 29 after the deceptive message warned that her identity and personal information had been compromised.
How the Scam Unfolded
According to the arrest report, the pop-up displayed a phone number that the woman called. The call was transferred to someone who identified themselves as a bank security agent. Investigators say that through false representations the caller persuaded the woman to move money to protect her accounts.
The victim withdrew $20,000 in cash, packed the bills into a box, and handed the package to an Uber courier for delivery to the Mobil station on Crandon Boulevard in Key Biscayne. Surveillance footage later showed 34-year-old Wilmer Vasquez receiving the package and leaving the area with the cash.
Investigation and Arrest
More than four months after the delivery, Miami police located and arrested Vasquez in downtown Miami after a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) felony vehicle alert led officers to a vehicle near Northwest North River Drive and Fifth Street. Local booking records show Vasquez—also known as Wilmer Vasqueztribuiani—was arrested at about 10 p.m. and booked shortly before 2 a.m. at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Vasquez faces four charges: organized fraud of $20,000 or more; offenses against users of computers; unlawful use of a communications device; and second-degree grand theft of less than $100,000. These are allegations; no conviction was reported in the reviewed sources.
Police emphasized that Uber was identified only as the courier service used to transport the package and that neither the company nor the driver is accused of participating in the fraud.
Officials' Warnings and Safety Tips
The FBI warns that tech-support scams often begin with pop-up windows urging victims to call a displayed support number. Scammers may pose as representatives of technology companies, banks, utilities, cryptocurrency platforms, or other trusted services.
If you see a pop-up claiming your account, device, or identity has been compromised: do not call the number shown. Instead, contact the company or your bank using an official app, the verified website, the customer number on your card, or a branch phone number you know to be legitimate.
Investigators said the unknown actor accessed the victim’s computer “by means not yet determined and without authorization” to display the deceptive Apple-styled alert.
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