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A 79-year-old Billerica woman called police on Thursday, Jan. 5 around 9 a.m. after receiving a call from someone claiming to be their grandson, "Bobby," according to the Billerica Police Department. Police would arrest 37-year-old Tony Mejia of Boston for attempting to steal from the resident later that day.
"Bobby" claimed that he had been arrested for hitting a pregnant woman with his car while he was drunk, and that he was ashamed of what he has done. He told the intended victim of the scam to not tell anyone about the incident.
Billerica detectives went to the senior woman's home and listened in as she called a phone number to an alleged attorney that "Bobby" had given her. The fake attorney told the woman that they would send a courier to her home to pick up $6,000 that "Bobby" needed for his bail.
The courier arrived later that same day and took a manila envelope full of what appeared to be cash, but was captured by Billerica police as he drove away. The man was identified as Tony Mejia and arrested for larceny under false pretenses.
Mejia was arraigned in Lowell District Court on Friday, Jan. 6.
“This is a classic example of the grandparent and bail scams that have targeted at least 25 people across Eastern Massachusetts recently,” said Chief Roy Frost. “The resident who was targeted in this instance did exactly the right thing when she immediately called Billerica Police, and helped us make an arrest in an increasingly common type of activity that targets seniors in our communities.”
Grandparent scams usually target grandparents or other family members by creating a pretense in which a relative needs urgent assistance, because of an arrest or other trouble. Scammers request bail money or other financial assistance and often tell their victims to not call police or another family member.
Daily Voice has previously reported on grandparent scams. For more information on grandparent scams, click here.
Billerica police ask that those who believe they may have been the targets of such scams call the Billerica Police Department at 978-671-0900.
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