SMYRNA, Del. - Smyrna Police said officers arrested a Smyrna man after he was allegedly behind a phone scam the stole tens of thousands of dollars from people across the country.

Smyrna PD officers got a call from the Sedona, Arizona Police Department in late February. Police in Arizona said an elderly victim in their jurisdiction had fallen for a phone scam and lost of thousands of dollars from his bank account. Police said they believed the person behind the scam was living in Smyrna.

Through multi-state police investigations, detectives discovered more victims in Alabama, Missouri, Washington and Illinois. More than $98,000 in funds had been stolen from multiple victims. Police said they were only able to recover approximately $30,000 with search warrants.

Detectives said they identified Jhiel Watson, 21 of Smyrna, DE as the suspect. He was arrested on Feb. 23 and arraigned via video court. Watson was then committed to Sussex Correctional Institute in lieu of $7,500 secured bond.

Police said the investigation is ongoing as police work to discover more victims.