28°
They tried getting $7,300 more from her – only she was at the borough police station at the time reporting the first crime.
The first caller told the victim on Tuesday that he’d been arrested for DWI after he rear-ended a pregnant woman’s car, Police Chief Robert Kugler said.
“He also said he broke his nose and cut his lip, requiring stitches, had just been released from the hospital and was in custody of the police,” Kugler said.
“He then abruptly said he had to hang up but gave a telephone number of a local attorney who was contacted to help his ‘release’ from custody,” the chief said.
The woman called the number and spoke with a thief posing as an attorney, Kugler said.
He directed her to wire money to an address in Rhode Island, which she did.
On Wednesday, she called her grandson, “who said he never left the state and was fine,” the chief said.
Realizing she was duped, the woman went to police.
While at the police station, she got another call saying she needed to send $7,300 more, Kugler said.
“Obviously, she didn’t comply,” he said.
So many people have fallen for the "grandson in trouble" phone scam that the FTC said it contributed in 2017 to combined losses to victims across the U.S. of $328 million.
Victims 70 and older have suffered the highest average losses, the AARP reports.
“Not often but sometimes, and unfortunately, some people get caught up in the moment and believe in the scam,” Kugler said. “Once commit and send the money, there’s no getting it back.
“Awareness is the key to make sure it doesn’t happen to more.”
******
HERE's WHAT TO DO if you ever get a call from or about a grandchild or any other relative in danger or trouble and needing money:
- Take a moment to calm yourself;
- Say that you must consult another family member first;
- Hang up and call a loved one.
Then call police.
"If the emergency is by any chance real, you can still respond appropriately," Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. "If it's not — and the odds point to that — congratulate yourself."
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you have elderly parents, relatives or friends, please share this story with them. Warn them about the dangers and advise them on how to respond.
******
ALSO SEE: It’s making the rounds again. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself (AARP)
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2018/grandparent-scam-scenarios.html
******
Click here to follow Daily Voice Garfield-Lodi and receive free news updates.
