Police: Orange Senior Scammed Out Of $15K

A press release from the Orange Police Department:

On Tuesday, the Orange Police Department received a complaint from an elderly resident that she was scammed out of a large sum of money. 

The complainant said that she had received a phone call from a party claiming to be her grandson and that he was in jail and needed bail money.  She was given instructions to wire the money to an out-of-state location, which she did. 

A second caller called back the next day, claiming to be an officer and stated the money never arrived and her grandson was still jailed.  She transferred money three more times before contacting a family member. The victim lost in excess of $15,000.

We are urging residents to verify the true identities of callers before sending money.  This can be accomplished by requesting the callers name and badge number, if they claim to be an officer, and the department they work for.  Contact other family members to verify the situation. 

Regardless of whether you are a victim of this scam or not, we are asking residents to file a report if they have been contacted in this manner. Although these are very difficult investigations, police will work cooperatively across state lines with other law enforcement agencies. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. John Aquino at (203) 891-2138.  More information may be available through your local elderly services advocate.