Westfield Resident Bilked Out Of $10K In Phone Scam

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield police recently released details of police reports from last week, including a scam that bilked a resident out of $10,000.

A resident told police on Feb. 3 that someone called the resident on the phone claiming to be a member of law enforcement. The caller was "able to obtain personal information from the victim and ultimately [was] able to fraudulently access $10,000 from the victim's bank account," police said. No further details were released.

Similarly, on Feb. 2, a resident contacted police and said he bought $1,500 worth of gift cards using his credit card. He then "provided the gift card numbers to an unknown actor, who falsely pretended to be an Apple customer service employee."

Scams like this one have been common in the area lately. Police have warned residents not to give out personal information to strangers. Some details:

• To read about similar scams in Westfield recently, click here.
• Read about Westfield residents victimized in a "puppy scam."
• Read about other Union County residents recently scammed here.
• And a Summit resident lost $9,000 in December in a "Grandparent Scam" by phone.

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