Broward man accused of defrauding Lee County woman

FORT MYERS, Fla. A Broward County man is facing charges in a fraud scheme that victimized a Lee County woman, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.

Colin L. Ansby, 25, of the 200 block of Northwest 79th Terrace in Margate, is accused of tricking the woman into sending him more than $100,000, the FDLE said. He was arrested and booked into the Broward County Jail.

Ansby was the recipient of the proceeds from an elaborate scheme to defraud victims in Florida and Pennsylvania, the FDLE said. The scheme, known as a business email compromise, used compromised email accounts to convince the victims to wire transfer money they believed was for legitimate business purposes.

The woman thought she was communicating via email with her real estate attorney and wired him the $100,000 for a purchase, the FDLE said. A victim in Pennsylvania believed she received an email from a superior directing her to wire transfer over $20,000 for clothes.

Ansby is facing one count each of scheme to defraud over $50,000, grand theft over $100,000, and grand theft between $20,000 and $100,000.