Couple Loses $60K In 'Grandparent Scam' Beverly Police

BEVERLY, MA — The other day in Beverly a nightmare scene right out of a movie unfolded. An older couple got a call with a frantic young man, crying on the other end that sounded a lot like their grandson. He was in trouble. Big trouble. Impossibly, he told them he'd been arrested in another state after an Uber he was riding in was stopped by police and was found to have drugs in it. He was now in jail and needed $60,000 bail - wired to him. A lawyer called the couple and corroborated that the money would be used to secure legal services and get her grandson out on bail. It all seemed impossible and terrible.

So they did what they thought was their only option. They went to the bank and wired the person $60,000.

But it was a scam.

After wiring the money, the woman then received several phone calls from the alleged attorney updating the victims on their grandson’s status. It seemed legit.

It wasn't until later, after they realized they'd been duped.

After reporting this to police, Officer Dana Nicholson, and Detective Joshua Pickett began to investigate and due to their quick actions, it looks like the police will be able to recover a large portion of that back for the victims, police said in a release.

"That's great police work to act quickly like that," said Officer Mike Boccuzzi, a spokesperson for the department. Boccuzzi said the couple did the right thing by contacting police as soon as they realized what had happened and by contacting them so soon after the incident it helped police track down the money.

At this time, charges have yet to be filed, and the investigation is on-going.

This type of scam is not new. And they've become common across not only the state, but across the country, as scam artists prey on older adults armed with convincing information, often including names locations and other details that help their case.

In 2015, the FTC received 10,565 "family/friend impostor" fraud complaints and that's not including those who were too embarrassed to call the police after they realized what had happened.

In 2012, the Attorney General's office released several tips alerting residents on how to prevent falling prey to con artists over the phone:

Be extremely suspicious when you receive a telephone call when:

• The caller says he or she is a grandchild or relative;
• The caller is in another country or a far-away location;
• The caller is in trouble and urgently needs money (i.e., bail money to be released from jail, or money for a hospital bill);
• The caller requests secrecy;
• The caller asks for the funds to be sent by wire transfer.

If you receive a call from someone claiming to know you and asking for money or other help:

• Don’t be fooled by details: scammers often get enough information from the internet to sound authentic;
• Don’t volunteer information to the caller until you have confirmed his or her identity;
• Check with other family members to confirm that the request for help is legitimate;
• Ask questions that would be difficult for an imposter to answer correctly (i.e., the last time you saw each other, or the date of his parents’ wedding anniversary);
• Directly contact the person who the caller claims to be;
• Guard the personal information you disclose online. If you use social networking websites, be aware of what information you make available on them, familiarize yourself with privacy settings so that you are aware who can view information that you make available, and only divulge information that you are comfortable having that audience view.

See the press release from the AG's office here

Photo courtesy Beverly Police

[Editor's note: The exact amount of what the police have been able to recover is in flux at this time so this article has been changed to reflect that.]