Two elderly residents living in Deerfield were recently swindled out of $44,000 that doesn’t appear will be returned when they were told over the phone that their grandchildren had been arrested and needed bail money.
According to Deerfield Police Detective Adam Sokoloski, a woman was called by someone claiming to be her grandson’s lawyer, saying he needed $14,000 in cash for bail.
Sokoloski said the woman sent the money by FedEx to Florida, where it promptly disappeared. The detective said it is very difficult to retrieve money sent to these types of scammers.
“We were able to Google a street view of the address where she sent the money,” Sokoloski said. “FedEx is not law-enforcement friendly, so we had to talk with law enforcement down there. The address took us to under a freeway — a shantytown we were told is controlled by street gangs.”
He said the second scam involved a senior from Old Deerfield who received a call from someone in New York City saying a grandson had been arrested.
“That person wired $30,000 to Wells Fargo Bank,” Sokoloski said.
He said once the money was received, the account, which had been opened online, was immediately closed.
“Their bank tried to do something, but it was too late,” Sokoloski said.
He said the residents who were scammed most likely will never see the money again.
“These people spoof phone numbers, set up online accounts and do everything anonymously,” he said. “If someone gets a call like one of these or other strange calls, they should hang up and call their local police department.”
“If someone calls threatening that bail will change or the person won’t be released if money isn’t sent, hang up — police and lawyers don’t do that,” Sokoloski said.
He said these two incidents would not have happened had the people just said “no” until they had a chance to call their grandsons.
“At least try to call your family member first,” he said.
Sokoloski said cases like these are always challenging for local police because of logistics — money went to Florida and New York.
“Don’t send anyone money,” he said. “Never be afraid to hang up or insult someone.”
Sokolski said there have been other recent scams, including people calling saying the person won a prize but has to send a processing fee to collect it.
“Don’t!” he said. “You’ll never see that money again, and you won’t see the prize, either.”
He said there have been plenty of Social Security scams where someone calls asking for the person to verify personal information.
“Then, they’re opening credit in that person’s name,” he said. “Be aware is the best advice.”
Sokoloski said it is always better if ordering something online from a reputable company, to use a credit, not debit, card.
“Credit companies will cover fraud up to $15,000, but debit cards aren’t covered,” he said.