Police issue warning after con swindles local senior

by Patrick Thomas

Police from the 22nd District are warning seniors about a phone scam after a Morgan Park woman was swindled out of $9,000.

The senior citizen, who lives on the 11300 block of South Talman Avenue, received a phone call around 2 p.m. on Jan. 27 from a man who purported to be a police officer looking to collect bond money for her grandson, who he said was arrested and jailed in Australia, 22nd District Sgt. Dennis Kettering said. The man then demanded she wire $9,000 through Western Union to Melbourne, Australia, which the woman did, police said. The man even called back and asked for money for attorney fees before the call went dead.

After making a phone call, the woman discovered her grandson was away at college and not in Australia or in jail, and she realized she had been duped, police said. Using caller ID on her phone, she dialed the man’s number and reached a person who identified himself as a security guard at a hospital, said Kettering, who had no additional information about the hospital. Detectives with the Area 2 Financial Crimes Unit, who are investigating, were not immediately available for comment.

Kettering advised residents, especially seniors, to be wary of such requests and to call 911 if they receive any suspicious calls.

“If someone is calling saying they are police looking for bond money, [call recipients] should always call to verify information,” Kettering said.

This is part of the February 3, 2010 online edition of The Beverly Review.

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