85 Year-Old Holtsville Woman Loses $8,400 to Phone Scam Artist, Police Say
Suffolk County, NY - August 7, 2017 - Suffolk County Police Fifth Squad detectives are investigating a phone scam during which an elderly woman was scammed out of thousands of dollars.
An 85-year-old Holtsville, New York, resident received a call on August 2 during which the caller told her that her grandson was in trouble and needed money to pay for medical care. The woman withdrew $8,400 and had it sent via FedEx. The woman was eventually able to get in touch with her grandson, who was not in trouble, and discovered that she was the victim of a scam.
The victim called 911 on August 3 to report the incident and Fifth Precinct Officer Kristofer Albrecht responded. Officer Albrecht contacted FedEx and determined that the victim's money was 15 minutes away from being delivered. FedEx placed a hold on the package and the money is in the process of being returned to the victim.
The investigation is continuing and detectives are asking anyone with information on the case to call the Fifth Squad at 631-854-8852 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
"When you receive a phone call asking for money, particularly cash or money orders to be sent via the mail, or asking for personal information, it's a scam. These scams target senior citizens so it's important that you warn family and friends and educate them," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy D. Sini.
Information on scams can be found on the department's website, suffolkpd.org.