Hingham Woman Suffering From Dementia Loses Thousands In Scam

HINGHAM, MA — On July 12, the family of an 86-year-old Hingham woman told police she had fallen victim to several phone scams over the last two weeks, losing at least $42,000.

The family of the woman who is battling early stages of dementia says the phone scammer claimed to be from "Publisher's Clearing House."

The woman began receiving phone calls that displayed "Publishers Clearing House" on the caller ID on June 28 and continued receiving them until July 11.

The caller told the woman she won $2.7 million in their sweepstakes but had to pay taxes upfront to collect her winnings. The caller then connected her with someone from the "Tax Department," who explained that she needed to open a bank account through Bank of America to transfer the money.

Hingham Police say the woman withdrew at least $36,00 in three transactions from her savings account over the next two weeks, sending them to New York.

The family says they are still working with her banks and credit card companies to determine how much money was fully taken.

Hingham Police want to give reminders and details that may help families in their discussions with seniors about scams:

• The caller ID and/or number can be changed to have it display any name or phone number
• The scammers gave a specific bank for this woman to open an account.
• The woman made at least 3 large cash withdrawals within 2 weeks from her savings account.
• Once scammers are successful, they will contact again.