Wayland Police Warn Residents of Possible Scam

Wayland Police are urging residents to contact authorities immediately if they receive a suspicious phone call asking for money to be wired to a family member.

According to a police press release, on Aug. 11, Wayland PD responded to the home of an 85-year-old Wayland man who became suspicious of a phone call he received asking for money to be wired to his grandson in Mexico.

The caller claimed to be the man's grandson and said he had been in a car accident in Cancun, Mexico. He claimed the Mexican police were requiring him to pay $3,420 in damages before he would be released.

The caller asked the man to wire the money to a Western Union location in Mexico City.

The resident, however, checked the caller's story with other family members and found his grandson to be safely vacationing on Cape Cod. In this case, no money actually changed hands, but that wasn't the case several years ago when a similar call resulted in a Wayland resident transferring the requested funds.

In that case, the scam was prosecuted, but the money was never recovered.

Police request that anyone who receives a similar phone call contact police so the validity of the call can be assured before funds are sent. These scams generally target elderly people and can be convincing since the scammers use social media to learn the names and relationships among family.

Police are also urging people to discuss the situation with family members who could be vulnerable.

In addition to this phone scam, the Better Business Bureau is warning residents to be aware of an email phishing scam making the rounds. In this case, the email will come under the name of a known person, but with a new email address and information. It will ask for money to be transferred.

The BBB recommends never clicking on links contained in emails from unknown people and never sending personal information over email.

Press releases from the BBB frequently warn against new versions of scams via phone or email. Those releases are archived on the BBB website.