Before she could report the theft to police, she was called to a phone in the community center where the fitness class was held. I was upset but grateful. The bank manager coolly asked the veteran reporter to verify the contents of her purse. In a moment of weakness, she complied. The caller was really the brazen crook, who promptly withdrew several hundred dollars from Singletary's checking account.
Police say dozens of women in the Washington, D.C., suburbs have been victims of the scam.
The bank has indeed reimbursed Singletary, and quick cancellation of her credit cards prevented any unauthorized charges. But her purse has not been recovered and police have no suspects. The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.