Public Service Announcement - Grandchild Scam
Posted on: January 30, 2023 - 8:09am
From the Chief----
Please be aware of recent scams, please see the below press release from the Dunbarton Police Department.
Dunbarton: Grandchild Scam - On 01/26/2023 the Dunbarton Police Department received a report from an elderly resident who fell victim to a grandchild in jail scam earlier that same day and lost approximately $6,000 cash.
The scammer called the victim and claimed to be a lawyer "Michael Bowen" and the father of their granddaughter's friend. The scammer further claimed that their granddaughter was in an accident and needed bail money to pay a bail bondsman to be released from jail. The scammer originally requested $18,000 (10% of a
$180,000 bond) however, agreed to drop all charges when the victim advised she only had $6,000 in cash.
Another scammer purporting to be the bail bondsman "Kevin" later drove to the victim's residence to collect the money sometime between 2PM and 3PM on Thursday, January 26th 2023.
The scammer who went to the victim's residence parked on the roadway out of sight from the residence and walked to the victim's house nearby. The scammer may have possibly been driving a light gray SUV type vehicle described as being "square" in shape.
The scammer was described as a thin black male between 5'10-6'0" tall wearing all black clothes that appeared to be very expensive. The scammer was described as wearing a black wool knit turtleneck with short, neat hair and was estimated to be in his early 20's-30's. The scammer was additionally described as being well groomed wearing black shoes, possible Dr. Martens that had a brown/tan sole wearing black sunglasses with a gold rim.
The Dunbarton Police Department has taken reports of four (4) scam attempts since January 24th including two (2) Grandchild scams, one (1) DEA warrant scam, and one (1) Publishers Clearing House scam.