Oh, Florida Man. Never change.
This time, our favorite chaotic antihero, Cody Rayner (31, Bradenton’s finest), allegedly pulled off a scam so bold it could only come from the Sunshine State. According to reports, Cody allegedly convinced a Utah woman to empty her entire bank account—$60,000 worth—into a totally secure new account he just happened to control.
How did he do it? Simple. He just called her up, pretended to be from Wells Fargo’s fraud department (classic move), and told her, “Hey, your money’s in danger! Quick, transfer it all to this random account I made for you—trust me, I’m basically a banker.”
And because this is Florida Man we’re talking about, the new account wasn’t even subtle—it was linked to his landscaping business. Because nothing says “legitimate financial institution” like a guy who mows lawns for a living.
But wait, it gets better. After the woman deposited the cash (including a $50,000 cashier’s check—oof), Cody allegedly went full Ocean’s Eleven and started withdrawing the money from ATMs like it was Black Friday at Best Buy. Cops even pulled surveillance footage of him grinning at the camera like, “Yeah, I did it. What now?”
Oh, and in case you thought this was his first rodeo—nope. Turns out Cody was previously arrested in a Florida drug sting. Because of course he was.
Now, authorities have no idea where he is (probably chilling on a beach somewhere, sipping a margarita paid for with Utah’s finest retirement fund). But if history tells us anything, Florida Man never stays hidden for long.
Stay tuned for the inevitable sequel: Florida Man Gets Caught Because He Tried to Pay for a Jet Ski With $60K in Cash.
— TalesFromFlorida.com, where the scams are wild and the mugshots are wilder.
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