An 84-year-old man fell victim to the grandparent scam over the weekend.
The grandparent scam is a common scam that occurs when someone calls an elderly person and tells him or her that a relative that is in trouble and needs money sent right away.
The 84-year-old man told police that a male claiming to be his grandson said he had gotten into a car accident and was in trouble.
The victim asked the person if he was “Matt,” and the caller said he was.
The caller asked the victim to wire him $275 to assist with legal fees and that if he didn’t then the “grandson” was going to spend some time in jail. The victim wired the money.
After the victim wired the money and the transfer went, through the “lawyer” called him again saying that the transfer hadn’t gone through and asked for another $275 and told him that the original money would be refunded.
The victim became suspicious and called his children to make sure that his grandson, who lives in Arizona, was okay. The grandson was okay, at work, and life was normal.
The victim then called the police. The case is currently considered inactive.
Attempted scam
An Employee from the Stillwater McDonald’s called police to advise them that someone identifying himself as Steve Floyd from the Stillwater Police Department called looking for a certain employee. The manager confirmed that the employee does work there but was in school at the time of the call. The individual claimed that the person needed to call them back or a warrant would be issued for her arrest.
The manager said the caller had a heavy Middle Eastern accent and didn’t sound authentic in any way. Police advised the manager to forward the message on to the person asked for and to ignore the call as sometimes even calling the numbers can cost money on their phone bill. No financial or personal information was exchanged.
Smash and grab
Stillwater police were dispatched to the parking lot of Anytime Fitness for a reported theft of items valued at $400.
The front passenger side window on the vehicle was smashed out and items were stolen.
Stolen items included a black purse worth $50, a wallet worth $20, various credit cards, a debit card, a drivers license, a social security card, makeup, check stubs and deposit slips.
The victim was advised to cancel all credit cards. While canceling credit cards, the woman learned that $112 and $25 were charged on her card at Walmart. Police were planning on looking at surveillance video from the store, and the case remains under investigation.
Compiled by Avery Cropp at avery.cropp@ecm-inc.com