Man arrested for multiple 'pigeon drop' scams in Prince George's County

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — A man is facing charges after police say he was linked to two "pigeon drop" scams in Prince George's County.

According to the Prince George's County Police Department, 59-year-old Keith Twiggs is accused of taking part in a "pigeon drop," which is a scam where the suspect convinces the victim to give them a large amount of cash as collateral with the hope of then sharing a much larger sum of money. 

Pigeon drop scammers often carry notes or fake letters from non-existing law firms, confirming the receipt of a large amount of money from either a settlement or inheritance. 

In other cases, the scammer will approach a victim and ask if they had dropped a wallet or purse containing a lot of money. Once the victim agrees to split the money, the scammer makes the victim put up their own money as collateral. 

Police say there have been eight pigeon drop scams reported in Prince George's County so far this year. In virtually all reported pigeon drop scams, the victims are women over the age of 60. Victims have lost between $10,000 to $60,000 each.

Twiggs has been charged in connection to two of these scams. The first scam was reported on May 6, in the 6000 block of Oxon Hill Road and the second was reported on June 26, in the 9000 block of Annapolis Road. 

Investigators said in both cases, the victims were older women. 

When Twiggs was arrested, officers claim they found around $21,000 in counterfeit cash and a wallet containing a note that is often used in pigeon drop scams. Following his arrest, police searched Twiggs' home and found more evidence, including fake letters and more counterfeit money. 

Police ask anyone who has had similar contact with Twiggs or was the victim of a pigeon drop scam to call a Financial Crimes Unit detective may call 301-516-1464. 

Anyone with information who wants to contact Crime Solvers may call 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app.

We're sharing a scam alert from police in Fairfax County. Investigative reporter Nathan Baca is here to break down the details.