Police Arrest 3 Men Accused Of Scamming $9K From Brookline Woman

BROOKLINE, MA — A Brookline resident got a call last month and it shook her. A man on the phone said her grandson had been in a car accident, and he needed $9,000 to post bail. It wasn't until after the involved ruse, which included impersonation and a rush to get the money to them, that she found out this was a scam.

She was not the first in Brookline to fall for this "Emergency Scam." In the past month there have been more than 20 variations of such scams reported across Brookline, police said.

In this case, the scammers put someone on the phone that sounded like her grandson. He begged her to send money but not tell anyone. He told her he'd have a lawyer call her and give her more details.

Shortly after, she did get a call from someone claiming to be that lawyer. The "lawyer" told her to write two checks for $4,500 dollars. He said he would send someone to her apartment to pick up these checks that day since she was disabled and could not make it to the bank without help. Two men then went to her apartment and collected the checks and left.

Luckily, her family noticed something was wrong and reported it to Brookline Police very shortly after. About a month later, on Nov. 6, Brookline detectives along with Haverhill Police and Massachusetts State Police identified and arrested three men responsible for defrauding the Brookline resident.

Police arrested Lissandro Penalo, Juan Jose Perez Martinez, and Daniel Lopez-Gonzalez, all from Haverhill on charges of: Larceny over $250 on person 60+ and Attempted Larceny by Check.

In the "Emergency Scam" someone calls to tell you a relative has been injured, robbed, or arrested and even uses the shock or scare of the moment to fool you into thinking they have your loved one there, by putting them on the phone with you to ask you to send money immediately. The caller may impersonate your loved one convincingly. The caller will play on your emotions. The caller will swear you to secrecy about the request for money because the caller does not want you checking out the story. The caller will insist you send the money right away and remain on the phone. Authorities recommend you hang up immediately and call your loved one yourself to verify if any of these claims are true.

If you believe that you or a loved one have been a victim of fraud call Brookline Police at 617-730-2222.
Related:

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• Brookline Business Loses $1k In Eversource Scam: Police ...
• Scam Alert: Waltham Police Warn About Fake Home ...
• Brookline Police Warn About Uptick In Scams

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).