Resident Scammed Out of $21,000: Darien PD

DARIEN, CT — A 67-year-old man was swindled out of about $21,000 during a telephone scam, according to police.

The victim was called around March 28 from someone pretending to be a member of the federal government. The man said his name was Andrew Lissell and he appeared to have an Indian accent, the victim told police.

He informed the victim he was awarded a "U.S./U.K. grant" for $7,900 and needed to pay fees in the form of iTune gift cards. He was instructed to read the card numbers off in order to have fees covered.

The victim purchased about $21,000 worth of iTune gift cards over the course of several days.

The name "Mark Cooper" was used in other names.

"The Darien Police Department again strongly cautions all residents to be extremely wary

of any phone solicitation from anyone purporting to be a representative of any US of foreign government, of anyone asking for any payment of “fees” via gift cards or through wire transfer requests of any type," said Capt. Donald Anderson. "If unsolicited requests or offers of this type are received via phone or via the Internet, they are, without a doubt, a scam operation."

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