'Grandson is in Trouble' Moneygram Scam Hits Wayland

Police are warning residents to be aware of the “my grandson is in trouble scam,” which recently almost took an elderly man for nearly $1,500.

On Tuesday, Sept. 2, officers responded to CVS Pharmacy on Boston Post Road to a report of a possible scam. At CVS, they spoke with an elderly man from Wayland who was trying to buy a $1,340 Money Gram to send to Las Vegas.

The CVS manager, who was aware of the numerous similar scam attempts involving MoneyGrams and Green Dot Money Cards, spoke to the man and told him about the scam.

The elderly man said a person had called him and claimed to be from the Clark County Courthouse Legal Aid Society in Las Vegas, Neveda. He said that the man’s grandson was in legal trouble in Las Vegas and that $1,340 was needed to be sent to the “courthouse” right away. The person also told the man that he should not speak to anyone about the situation, said police. Officers were able to contact the man’s grandson, who was not in Las Vegas and was actually at work in Watertown.

Police credit store management at the C.V.S. for being alert to the possibility of a scam and preventing the loss of the man’s money. Once money is sent out by Western Union, MoneyGram or Green Dot, it is almost never recovered. Police remind all residents that telephone scams are becoming more and more commonplace and that funds should not be sent until the validity of the call is verified.