Newton Police: Scam Caller Demands $1,200 for Woman's Husband

Police officers were dispatched to a Newton residence around 7:30 p.m. on March 4 after a woman reported that she had been scammed.

According to reports, the woman received a phone call around 12:30 p.m. from an unknown number who stated that her husband had been involved with an accident. The caller told the woman he did not want her husband contacting police about the accident because he (the caller), who was also involved in the accident, was an illegal immigrant.

The caller then told the woman that he had hit her husband over the head with a firearm and was holding him until the woman wired $1,200 to Puerto Rico. He also told the woman she had to stay on the phone with him constantly (while wiring the money) to make sure she did not call police. 

The woman told police she stayed on the phone from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and wired the money. She also tried to wire a second amount of money, reports said, but it did not go through.

Around 5:30 p.m., the woman got a hold of her husband and realized she had been scammed.

Police advised the woman and her husband that the situation was a scam and told them not to make any money transfers.

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