A scammer spent days gaining the trust of an 89-year-old woman, ultimately stealing thousands, the Hingham Police Department said.
Last week, the 89-year-old woman got an email from someone claiming to be her bank. The email said there was unusual activity on her bank account and to call a phone number for the fraud department.
Once she called, they told her her account had been compromised and to withdraw her money at two nearby banks in Quincy and Scituate. The goal was to withdraw $34,000.
She was also asked to stay on the phone while she was at the bank and to “leave her phone in her pocket so they could listen while she spoke with the tellers,” the police department stated.
“They told her to not take ‘no’ for an answer if the tellers decline to give her the cash,“ the police department said.
She was only able to withdraw $9,000 and $10,000 cash from the two bank branches.
The scammer continued calling the woman, who told her they’d come pick up the cash to prevent it from being “hacked.” They said they’d later deposit it into a new secure account.
When a person showed up at her door, she was instructed to give the stranger the money, police said.
“This scam happened over several days on numerous phone calls from the same caller who appeared to gain the trust of the woman,” the police department said. “The caller remained on the phone with her as much as possible especially during her two withdrawals, to prevent her from calling someone to verify if she was being scammed.”
On Sept. 12, the woman and her family came to the police station to report the scam.
“Remember, if you receive an unwanted email or text, delete without opening it. If you suspect it may be from a real bank or financial institution, you should call or email the number/address on your statement or card (not in the email/text) to be certain you are only contacting the actual business,” the police department said.
If you have any information regarding the scam, contact Det. Heather Hermida at 781-741-1443.