EMS cancer scammer arrested in Indiana after fooling firefighters & cops
Sam Young is reported to be a civilian EMS worker with the Mishawaka (IN) Fire Department. Some articles describe him as an EMT and others as a paramedic.
Christian Sheckler, South Bend Tribune:
Authorities say a paramedic with the Mishawaka fire department scammed police officers and firefighters out of money by falsely claiming he had cancer and needed help paying for treatments.
Sam R. Young, 50, is charged with two counts of theft. He was arrested Sunday and released the same day after posting $1,000 bond, according to St. Joseph County Jail Records.
South Bend Police say a Mishawaka officer contact them to report Young had tried to scam him. He said Young claimed to be going through cancer treatment and needed $1,000 for specialized treatments not covered by insurance.
Police investigated and found Young had tried similar scams on other police and fire employees.
In court documents, Young admitted to police he did not have cancer.
According to court documents, Young told a Mishawaka police officer that he was battling cancer and needed specialized treatments that weren’t covered by insurance. Young asked for $1,000 to help cover the payments.
The officer agreed to let Young borrow the money, but Young continued to delay repayment. The officer eventually learned that Young didn’t have cancer and confronted him. Young continued to avoid paying back the money.
South Bend Police Captain Scott Hanley began to investigate and found that Young had scammed a number of other police and fire employees.
Hanley found that one of Young’s co-workers gave him $800 to pay rent. A repayment check bounced due to insufficient funds.
