Woman Scammed Out of $9,500 for Grandson's 'Bail'

A Florham Park woman was scammed out of $9,500 last week after a caller pretending to be her grandson had her wire the money to Peru so he could be bailed out of jail, according to borough police.

The call was made around noon Thursday, according Florham Park Police Capt. Robert Treiber.

A police news release detailed the scam and ways residents can avoid becoming victims:

• The "grandson" said he was out of the country, in jail on drug charges, and needed $4,750 wired to a bail bondsman immediately to secure his release. He said it was important for her not to tell anyone about the arrest, especially his parents, and he would break the news to them when he returned home.
• The "grandson" then handed the phone over to a male identifying himself as the arresting police officer who gave the grandmother specific instructions on how to wire the bail money. The victim in turn withdrew $4,750 from her bank account and wired the money to an address in Lima, Peru.
• Once the money was wired, the grandmother called the "police officer." He said he received the money, but in the meantime additional charges were filed against her grandson and she would need to wire an additional $4,750 bail. The still unsuspecting grandmother repeated the steps and wired an additional $4,750.
• After the second transaction, the grandmother decided to reach out to her grandson to see if he was released, at which time her grandson informed  her he never was arrested and was not out of the country. The grandmother realized she was the victim of a scam and contacted Florham Park police.

Police said such incidents are commonly known as "grandparent scams" and target senior citizerns. Residents who receive calls or emails from someone claiming to know them and asking for help should first confirm it is legitimate by asking questions that would be difficult for imposters to answer correctly, trying to reach the person directly, or contacting a friend or relative of the person, police said.

"Don’t send money unless you’re sure it’s the real person you know," Florham Park police said. When in doubt, call police for help verifying information.