HomeMy Public PortalAboutGrandparent Fraud InfoWATERTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Michael P. Lawn Chief of Police
552 Main St., Watertown, MA. 02472
Telephone (617) 972-6500
Elderly Scam Advisory
Important Information! ! !
REQUESTING YOUR ASSISTANCE
There is currently a group of individuals targeting senior citizens by way of a telephone scam in
our community as well as several Metro -Boston cities and towns. An unidentified person will
telephone an unsuspecting elder and say that the elder's grandchild is currently in jail due to
some prior event. The unknown suspect will say that they are a lawyer representing the
"grandchild" and request the elder to obtain an amount of money to bail the "grandchild" out of
jail. This is referred to as the "grandchild in jail scam". Usually the money request is in the tens
of thousands of dollars. After the elder obtains the cash, the "lawyer" will send a "courier" to the
elder's home to collect the cash. The "courier" will then arrive at the elder's home, usually in a
vehicle and take the money.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Please inform your family, friends, and neighbors of this scam.
Speak to your elderly parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. and make sure they are aware and
understand.
Explain to people, that a lawyer, the police, a bail bonds person, court personnel, the District
Attorney, will NEVER call you to obtain money to get someone out of jail.
VERY IMPORTANT...If you or someone you know receives this scam call, PLEASE CALL
911 IMMEDIATELY AND LET US KNOW. Even if you are not sure, call us!!!
As a practice, never give money or credit card numbers to anyone calling on the phone, if you
are not sure what to do, please call us, we are always available to help.