Swampscott police warn of phone scam targeting elderly

SWAMPSCOTT – It’s known as the grandparent scam and more than one North Shore senior has fallen victim to it.On Thursday, a Swampscott woman told police she received several phone calls stating her grandson had been arrested in Canada.Detective Ted Delano said the woman was instructed to wire money to a certain individual as the grandson needed to be bailed out of jail.”After wiring the first amount of money, she was notified again to send more money for processing,” he said. “In total over $15,000 was wired. Eventually she called the grandson and he was fine and not in jail.”Earlier this year, a Nahant couple fell prey to the same scam. They received a frantic call from someone claiming to be their grandson, who told them he and a friend had been in a car accident in Canada and subsequently arrested. The caller said he needed $3,900 wired to them for bail.Delano urged seniors to take several precautions to avoid grandparent scams including staying alert for callers who ask for money; claim to be calling from a foreign country; insist the senior does not contact anyone, as well as anyone with an unfamiliar voice or who is vague about self descriptions. Delano said people should not provide personal or financial information over the telephone.Anyone who believes they have been scammed should contact their local police department.