Fake Hinsdale Cop Scams Western Springs Woman: Police

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – A Western Springs woman was scammed out of $8,000 by someone who pretended to be a Hinsdale police officer, authorities said.

In response to a public records request, Western Springs police provided their report on the incident.

On Aug. 20, the woman received a call from the imposter, who said she was facing two criminal charges – failure to appear in court for jury duty and contempt of court, police said.

The 38-year-old woman, who lives in the 4600 block of Lawn Avenue, was told the summonses to appear in court were sent to her old address in Hinsdale and her current one in Western Springs, police said.

The imposter warned the woman she would be arrested if she did not follow his instructions, according to the report. He asked her to withdraw $8,000 from her account and deposit it to an assigned phone number, which she was unable to recall, at the nearest Coinstar location, police said.

The woman complied by withdrawing the money from Chase Bank and going to the Coinstar at Jewel in Countryside.

She then received a phone call from the suspect, whose number showed it was from Hinsdale, police said. He told her to go to the Hinsdale police station and walk inside. She did, and the suspect hung up.

The woman was then told by an officer in the Hinsdale station to report the incident to Western Springs police, which she did.

The bank told her that because she withdrew the money, it could not reimburse her, according to the report.