CMPD Issues Warning About Airport Fraud Scheme Involving A 51-Year-Old Man

CHARLOTTE, NC — Detectives are warning travelers to be on the lookout for a man running a fraud scheme in the airport and parking decks at Charlotte Douglas.

Andrew Fields, 51, has been charged in multiple states, according to officials, for running scams on travelers at numerous airports throughout the country. Police say Fields will approach travelers posing as a business man, and then strike up a conversation in which he eventually asks for a very specific amount of money to pay for parking. He will claim that the airport will not let him back on the plane to get his suitcase, which contains his money. Officials say he has also told victims that he is behind on utilities and needs assistance.

Detectives say Fields is a convicted felon with a long criminal history. Warrants have been signed charging Fields with Obtaining Property by False Pretenses here in Charlotte.

Fields is described as a white male, around 6 feet, and 160 pounds. Officials say he may be staying at a nearby hotel/motel and walking to the airport or long term lot and riding a bus to the terminal.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 911 or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Anyone that believes they may have been a victim should also contact 311 to file a report or 911 at the time of the incident.