Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Sunday, July 7, 2013
(JOHNSON COUNTY) - An elderly Johnson County man was scammed out of $1,800 after he wired money to someone pretending to be his grandson in jail.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office said someone posing as the 82-year-old man's grandson said he had been arrested and needed bail money. According to the police report, the impersonator handed the phone to another person who identified himself as "Deputy Burke." The "deputy" then gave the man instructions on how to send $1,800 to a bail agent in California.
The man went to his bank and withdrew the money before going to Western Union to wire the funds. He said he was contacted a second time to send another $2,200, but decided to contact his grandson first, police said.
When he called his grandson, he found out he was at his home in Greenwood, not California.
Authorities said the scam is common among the elderly and urged the public to use caution when asked to wire money by someone over the phone.
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