Police: Woman Scammed Castle Shannon Residents

Police in Castle Shannon have charged a woman they said has been preying on people's emotions in a door-to-door scam.

Channel 11 News reporter Alan Jennings talked with one man no comma who said he almost fell for the alleged scam, which included a woman collecting money for a walkathon .

"Heard a knock at the door. I opened the door. This young girl was there. She said she was doing a walk-a-thon (and) she needed sponsors. I told her I'm not interested," said Rob Hofmann.

Hofmann said he closed the door and continued to help make dinner for his family. However, other neighbors, trying to be kind and sympathetic, gave the woman cash, police said. After complaints to authorities, police investigated.

"She's been saying she's from the Epilepsy Foundation, and she's conducting some kind of walkathon," said Castle Shannon Police Chief Ken Truver.

Police said the woman walked away with an undisclosed amount of cash from unsuspecting victims, including the elderly.

"We believe this is a fraud of some sort," said Truver.

On Wednesday, Truver's officers identified the suspect as Amanda Krull, who is now facing criminal charges.

"The description we got from the residents from the incident that happened on Monday evening was that she was a white female in her 20s with dark hair," said Truver.

Truver said door-to-door scams are increasing. If someone knocks on your door, he said, residents should demand to see a certified solicitation permit before donating.

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