Palos Park Woman, 104, Targeted in Phone Scam

Fraudsters preying on the elderly recently targeted a 104-year-old Palos Park woman, in what has become known as the “grandparent scam.”

The woman was contacted by a caller stating that her grandson had been in a car accident after drinking, and was being held by police until he paid $900, according to Palos Park police. The caller then pleaded for the grandmother not to call his parents, but to send funds to have her grandson released from jail.

The woman asked her caregiver to check her bank account for the money to bail out her grandson. The caregiver contacted the woman’s daughter, who called police.

The call is a scam running nationwide. Anyone who receives a similar call should hang up and report it to local police.