A North Carolina man reportedly called Cranberry Township police posing as a private investigator seeking help on a financial fraud case, police said.

Ryan E. Keitzer, of Charlotte, N.C., was charged with one misdemeanor count each of obstruction and furnishing false information to law enforcement following a June 12 incident.

Police said Keitzer called Butler County Emergency Services and requested assistance from Cranberry Township police. He identified himself as a national cyberfraud investigator contracted to conduct suspected theft and credit card fraud investigations at several banks.

Police said Keitzer claimed fraudulent charges were made to banks in Cranberry Township and other areas in Butler County involving a 78-year-old man from Liberty Township, Mercer County.

Keitzer told police he had documentation he was going to share about a woman involved in the fraud who allegedly stole more than $10,000 from the man. The fraudulent charges were reportedly made in fall 2024.

Police said Keitzer requested assistance in contacting the man and obtaining his banking records. Keitzer reportedly called police two days in a row asking them to interview the man and get his banking records.

Cranberry Township police later found Keitzer had made the same request to state police and was not a private investigator. The reportedly defrauded man was a relative of his, police said.

Keitzer’s preliminary hearing before District Judge Kevin Flaherty is set at 11 a.m. Aug. 8.