Recent Scam

October 19, 2020

A scam, targeting the elderly, recently resurfaced in the St. Louis region.

The scam involved a male who telephoned an elderly couple advising them that their granddaughter had been involved in a motor vehicle accident with serious injuries to the other party.

The male caller portrayed himself to be an attorney and stated that this accident was clearly the granddaughters fault and if the couple could produce $50,000 he would use his contacts with Bail Bondsmen and Judges to stop her (the granddaughter) from going to jail.

As the conversation continued, the couple was able to negotiate the amount to $12,000.  The couple then immediately responded to the bank and withdrew $12,000 cash in one hundred dollar bills and drove home. The male phoned the grandparents again and advised he would be sending his private courier to their residence to pick up the money.  Within an hour, a white KIA Soul arrived.  A black male exited the passenger seat and walked to the front door and the grandparents placed an envelope with the cash in his hand and he walked away.  No information on the driver or license plate was obtained.

The grandparents later learned they had been scammed after family members advised that the granddaughter was fine and not involved in this incident.

If you ever receive any such request or become involved in any unusual situation requesting money or valuables, please contact your local police department.  We will run this situation down for you.  This is a true incident that recently occurred in the St. Louis region.