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Milford grandma falls prey to phone scam: Loses $4,600 to ?grandson' in Canada
MILFORD, Nov 22, 2008 (New Haven Register - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
An elderly city woman, who thought she was helping to bail her grandson out of a Canadian jail, fell victim to the "grandma scam," police said, costing her thousands of dollars.
The Foxwood Lane resident recently wired $4,600 to Niagara Falls, Canada, where she believed her grandson was being held by authorities. The money was gone before she found out she was duped, police spokesman Officer Vaughan Dumas said.
He said the victim received a call from a man claiming to be her grandson, and was convinced by the scammer that he had been arrested in Canada and needed $4,600 to be bailed out of jail.
After the woman wired the money, the scammer called to thank her for her generosity, but asked for another $6,000.
The woman didn't have the $6,000 to send and called her daughter to help, Dumas said.
It was then the grandmother learned her grandson lives in California, not in Canada, and that she had fallen prey to a scam artist.
Dumas said the police are not aware of others in Milford being victimized by this particular scam, but were able to find Web sites warning people of the "grandma scam," which has claimed victims across the U.S. and Canada.
In most of the cases, an elderly person gets a call from someone identifying himself as a "favorite grandson." The scammer claims he needs emergency cash for one of a variety of reasons, ranging from an automobile accident to bail.
Dumas said any person soliciting money over the phone should be treated cautiously and their identity, or the legitimacy of an organization, should be scrutinized before money is sent.
State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said he was unaware of other incidents of the "grandma scam" in Connecticut, but similar scams -- especially those targeting the elderly -- happen all too often.
"Our message has always been very clear: Do not wire or send any personal information, monetary information, like credit card numbers, or money to people who call you on the phone," Vance said. "It simply does not make any sense."
Janice M. Jackson, executive director of the Milford Senior Center, said she, too, hadn't previously heard of this particular scam, but does know about phone calls requesting Social Security numbers from seniors.
"We have people from the Police Department and other organizations to warn seniors not to send money," Jackson said.
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http://www.nhregister.com. Copyright (c) 2008, New Haven Register, Conn.
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