DeLand, Fl. — Detectives with the DeLand Police Department Criminal Investigations Division have arrested a Deltona woman following a months-long investigation into a scheme that used text message phishing to steal more than $7,700 from a Marion County credit union customer. Cherice Monique Reyes is charged with organized scheme to defraud, unauthorized use of personal identification information, and theft in connection with a series of fraudulent transfers made in October 2025.

The investigation began on October 14, 2025, when officers responded to the Florida Credit Union branch in DeLand after the bank reported fraudulent activity on a customer account. Records showed that Reyes had opened a new account at the DeLand branch on October 10, 2025. Over the following two days, $7,800 was transferred without authorization from the account of a victim in Ocala into Reyes' newly opened account.

The unauthorized transfers were made possible through a smishing scheme, a type of fraud in which a criminal sends a text message posing as a legitimate organization to trick the recipient into providing account login credentials. The victim received a text message with a link that appeared to come from his bank. When he clicked the link, the page mimicked the Florida Credit Union website and captured his login information.

After the funds were deposited into her account, Reyes moved the money quickly through multiple channels, including transfers to a cryptocurrency wallet and a mobile payment application. Investigators obtained records, surveillance footage, and identity verification documents that placed Reyes at the DeLand branch during account opening, at an ATM on South Woodland Boulevard the evening of October 11, 2025, and confirmed her ownership of the accounts used to disperse the stolen funds. Florida Credit Union reimbursed the original victim and is pursuing charges as the financial victim in this case. The total loss to the credit union was $7,782.93.

"This case is a good example of how financial fraud rarely stops at one victim," said Captain P. Dice, DeLand Police Department. "When someone uses another person's credentials to steal, the ripple effects reach the bank, the account holder, and the broader community. We are glad to have built a thorough case, and we hope this arrest sends a clear message."

The public is reminded to be cautious of unsolicited text messages claiming to be from a financial institution. Legitimate banks will not ask customers to verify login credentials by clicking a link in a text message. If you receive a suspicious message, contact your bank directly using the number on the back of your card.

###