2 Scams Rip Off Lower Makefield Residents For $22K

LOWER MAKEFIELD, PA — Police in Lower Makefield Township this week reported two residents being targeted by scams and ripped off for a total of more than $22,000.

In a case from Thursday, a resident of Covington Road reported being contacted repeatedly by someone claiming to be with the Social Security office. The victim was instructed to send $10,000 in a shoe box to an address in Pennsylvania, according to police.

The victim sent the cash and also provided sensitive personal information to the caller, Lower Makefield Township Police said.

The Social Security Administration's website warns Americans to be wary of fake calls, texts and emails. Real Social Security employees will never make threats, suspend your Social Security number, demand an immediate payment, require payment by cash, gift card, pre-paid card or wire transfer or ask for gift card numbers over the phone, the site says.

Also on Thursday, a resident of Jacob Drive in Lower Makefield reported losing $12,000 in what authorities call the "Grandparent Scam."

According to the AARP, grandparent scams typically involve someone calling the victim and posing as a grandchild or other relative. The scammer claims there has been an accident, arrest, robbery or some other dramatic event and asks the victim to wire money — often asking them not to tell other family members.

Information used in these scams is often lifted from social media activity by the actual child or victim. From 2015 through the first quarter of 2020, the Federal Trade Commission logged more than 91,000 reports of scammers posing as a relative or friend of their victims.

Lower Makefield Police on Friday urged residents to be skeptical when anyone calls asking for money. In the case of the grandparent scam, they said, it is always best to contact the family member involved before considering sending money.