From BPD News:
On Friday, December 23, 2022, a 93-year-old male reported to police that he was scammed out of $9,500.00 in United States Currency on Thursday. The victim reports he was contacted on his phone by a person claiming to be a lawyer stating that his nephew was in a car crash and was arrested in Providence, Rhode Island and needed $9,500.00 for bail. The victim was instructed by the suspect to withdraw money from a bank and go to the Post Office, put the money in a box from the Post Office, and someone would come collect the money from him. The victim stated that an unknown black male in a white motor vehicle arrived at his address and took the box containing the U.S. Currency.
The Boston Police urge anyone with information on this incident to contact Area D-4 detectives at 617-343-4250.
Residents that receive a call similar to the above scheme are advised to:
Contact the police immediately.
Attempt to contact the person involved through your normal channels of communication to confirm their well-being.
Have the caller physically describe the family member to see if the caller can provide some level of detail that could help confirm or dispel the claim.
Ask the caller for specific information about where the family member is located. The scammers try to not have you call anyone to verify that the family member is actually at home, work or school and not arrested.
Note the phone number where the call or text originated and report the incident to the Boston Police Department or your local area police immediately. The caller ID name and phone number displayed can easily be changed to read anything the scammers want it to read. If you don’t recognize the phone number, don’t answer. If it’s important, they will leave a message. This allows you time to verify who called you.
Talk about these scams and how they work with your family and friends. These scammers are good at what they do and can only be stopped by being aware.
In addition to filing a report with the Boston Police Department, victims are also encouraged to report any Phone/Internet Fraud Scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Please call the FTC at 1(877) FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
