Norwood Police Nab Thief In Grandparent Scam

NORWOOD, MA - Norwood Police detectives arrested a Georgia man on larceny charges as he attempted to pick up cash from an elderly female resident Wednesday.

The case began Tuesday when an alert bank teller questioned a customer who was trying to withdraw a large amount of cash for the second time that day. On arrival, an officer spoke with the woman who at first gave another reason for needing the cash, but eventually said that she was told that her granddaughter was in jail and needed bail money. She told him that a woman she believed to be her granddaughter had called and was sobbing on the phone as she asked for the woman to gather the bail money in cash.

The woman told police that she was initially untruthful because one of the callers, a man who purported to be a lawyer, told her there was a gag order in effect and that she mustn't tell anyone about the matter.

She told the officers that she had withdrawn $13,000 from the bank earlier in the day and that a man had come to her home to pick it up. She got another call from the male caller who told her the granddaughter needed another $40,000.

Once the victim realized from talking to the bank teller and police officers that she had been scammed, and that her granddaughter was not in jail, she agreed to play along to help police trap the thieves. Later in the day she spoke with the "lawyer" again and told him she had the money, according to police.

On Wednesday, the same man who had come to the woman's home the day before showed up to collect the $40,000. Instead, the subject was apprehended by Norwood Police detectives and uniformed officers. Cash and bank bands were found in his car. Manuel Alejandro Semprun Manzano, 25, who claims to be from Lawrenceville, Georgia has been charged with felony larceny and attempted larceny.