Woodbridge Woman, 77, Loses Nearly $10,000 In Phone Scam

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A 77-year-old Hopelawn woman fell victim to a phone scam where she lost more than $9,000 total, according to Woodbridge police.

The woman said the scam started in May. She walked into Woodbridge police headquarters on Friday, Sept. 15 and filed a police report. She said in May she got a call from someone saying they were her grandson. He said he'd been in a bad car accident and needed her to transfer money to him. She wired $1,350 via Western Union. After that, she received multiple follow-up calls from someone saying they were his lawyer, and needed money for legal fees.

Using Western Union and Walmart2Walmart money-transferring service, the woman said she made six different wire transfers total. Each time, she sent over about $1,300 but one money transfer was for $2,550.

The Hopelawn woman said she has since spoken to her grandson, and he is fine.