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Keith Twiggs, of Temple Hills, had $21,000 in counterfeit cash and a wallet containing the type of note often used in pigeon drop scams in his possession when police arrested him on June 29, county police said.
A pigeon drop scam involves convincing a victim to give the suspect(s) a large amount of cash as collateral with the hope of then sharing a larger sum of money.
There have been eight pigeon drop scams reported in the county since the beginning of 2023, Twiggs being charged in two, the PGPD said.
The most recent case happened on June 26, in the 9000 block of Annapolis Road, and the second on May 6, in the 6000 block of Oxon Hill Road. In both cases, the victims were female senior citizens.
Following his arrest, detectives conducted a search warrant at Twiggs’ home in Temple Hills, where they collected fake letters and additional counterfeit money, police said.
"Pigeon drop scammers often carry notes or fake letters from non-existent law firms confirming the receipt of a large amount of money from either a settlement or inheritance," the PGPD said.
"In other cases, the scammers approach the victim in a business parking lot and ask the victim whether they’ve just dropped a wallet or purse containing a large amount of cash. The victim eventually agrees to share the cash with the suspect but must first put up their own money as collateral."
In virtually all reported pigeon drop scams, the victims are females over the age of 60. Victims have lost between $10,000 to $60,000 each.
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