DPD Investigating "Quick Change" Theft In Romanian Wire Transfer

Tuesday, April 1st, 2025

The Dalton Police Department is asking for the public's help to identify a woman who used a "quick change" scam to steal money from a local store while wiring money to Romania. The incident was recorded by store surveillance. 

Caption: The female suspect was recorded by store surveillance

The incident happened at the Kroger at 1365 W. Walnut Avenue on March 16th at approximately 8:30 pm. A woman, apparently from Romania, walked into the store with a younger man and went to the customer service desk. The woman asked to send money to someone in Romania via Western Union. The woman handed over $1,500 in cash to the clerk in $50 and $20 bills. As the clerk counted out the money, the woman kept asking him to recount it while apparently pretending to not speak English well and to be confused by how he was counting the money. The woman also kept asking for the money back and exchanging it with the clerk in an effort to confuse and distract her. During the final exchange, the woman took back $670 without the clerk realizing it. The clerk wired $1,500 to the recipient in Romania but only deposited $830 in the cash register, thinking that it was the full amount. The mistake was not realized until the end of the night. When the store attempted to stop the payment, they found that the money had been picked up in Romania immediately after the transfer was made. 

The suspect had given the store a fake Kentucky driver's license with the name Sarah Duca and gave a fake phone number. She was a white woman with black hair pulled back in a bun, wearing a dark gray jacket over a green shirt. The clerk estimated that she was in her late 30s or early 40s. 

Anyone who knows this woman or who has information on this incident is asked to contact Detective Caleb Morang at 706-278-9085, extension 9-248.

Below: More images of the suspect