Hingham Police say an 87-year-old resident was scammed out of $26,000 dollars through a so-called “grandparent scam.”
Police Lieutenant Steven Dearth says on Tuesday, an elderly resident received a call from an unfamiliar phone number.
The caller told the 87-year-old that her grandson was involved in a crash in Vermont, and a pregnant woman was injured.
The grandson was arrested, and she needed to call another phone number to help arrange his bail.
The woman called another phone number, and a person posing as a lawyer said bail was set at $26,000 cash. They said a judge put a gag order on the case, so the woman was not allowed to talk to anyone about the incident.
The resident went to the bank, withdrew the cash, and left the money in a box. Around 6 p.m., a woman in a black sedan, wearing all black, took the money.
Police say normally the scams use gift card or wire transfers – it was uncommon that they showed up to get the money.
Dearth says it’s important for people to talk about these scams, and make sure their family members are aware of them.
The scammers are good at prying information, and using that against people. They can change caller ID’s and phone numbers.
If people are unsure, they should check with a relative or police.
