Elderly Woman Loses Nearly $6K in Phone Scam

An 84-year-old Greenwich woman lost $5,800 in a telephone scam in which the caller convinced her that a relative was in jail and needed money, according to Greenwich Police.

The woman reported the loss of money to police shortly after 4:15 p.m. Sept. 14, according to police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray.

"It was the grandparent phone scam. ... They receive a phone call from a loved one in another country who says they need bail money," Gray said. The woman wired the $5,800. However, a short time later she ended up confirming the purported relative was indeed fine and didn't need the money, according to Gray.

The unfortunate part, the victim "won't get their money back," Gray said.

Each year, Greenwich Police receive several reports from senior citizens who are duped into wiring money—usually overseas—to help a purported relative, usually a grandchild, who calls to say they need money to get out of jail. Some scammers are sophisticated enough to provide telephone numbers of alleged police for the grandparents to contact. But actually those numbers are connected to scammers in on the scheme, police have said.