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NORWOOD, Mass. (WBZ News Radio) — The Norwood Police Department is warning of so-called "grandparent scams" after a group of elderly people was almost scammed out of $9,000 on Tuesday.
Police say the group arrived to the Rockland Trust bank to withdraw the money, because of a call that came in earlier that day. Officials say the caller had state they were a family member and that they had been in a car accident and needed funds.
An employee at Rockland Trust found that suspicious and issued an alert to Norwood Police, who confirmed that the family member in question did not get into an accident at all. In this case, the victim received another call and was given a ride to the bank in a large white van by a balding white man with gray hair.
"We are very concerned that in this case, the subject actually picked up the victim and drove the victim to the bank," NPD said.
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The NPD is taking the opportunity to remind residents that "grandparent scams" are when scammers pretend to be a relative in distress to try and siphon funds from concerned victims.
"To prevent these scams, always call and check with family members on a known number. Don’t send cash, wire money, or provide numbers from gift or cash-reload cards to a person claiming to be a grandchild. Scammers prefer those payment methods because they’re difficult to trace," the NPD said.
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