Police: Rye senior cheated out of $10,000 in “Grandparent Scam”
Police say they are investigating after a senior was convinced to give away $10,000 after being convinced their grandchild needed money to be bailed out of jail.
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Sep 6, 2022, 10:14 AM
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Updated 689 days ago
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yesterdayThe City of Rye police are issuing a warning about a scam
targeting senior citizens.
They say they are investigating after a senior gave away $10,000 after being convinced their grandchild
needed money to be bailed out of jail.
Commonly called the “Grandparent Scam,” this case is similar to
many that have been reported in other parts of New York and across the country
in recent years.
In most of the reported cases, the suspect calls a senior
citizen and claims to be one of their grandchildren who have been involved in a
car crash or some other legal trouble and were arrested. The person on the
phone provides the victim with a phone number for an attorney and asks the
victim to contact them.
The person, posing as a lawyer, convinces the
victims that their respective grandchildren need a large sum of money – all in
cash – to be bailed out of jail. Once the victim went to the bank to withdraw
the funds, the suspect or a co-conspirator physically went to the victims’
homes to pick up the money.
Police want people to know that law enforcement and/or judicial
personnel will never come to your house in order to collect bail money.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are several
steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
- Resist the urge to act immediately – no matter how dramatic the story is.
- Verify the caller’s identity. Ask questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer. Call a phone number for your family member or friend that you know to be genuine. Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.
- Don’t send cash, gift cards or money transfers – once the scammer gets the money, it’s gone!
- Contact the City of Rye Police at (914) 967-1234. They can assist you in verifying the authenticity of the caller.
