The Legal Checkup Blog

BEWARE THE "GREEN DOT" SCAM!

Posted by Judith Flynn on Fri, Apr 25, 2014 @ 08:04 AM

Following is an alert from the Hingham Police Department, but this scam has been taking place in many cities and towns.  It targets the elderly, so please alert any family members, colleagues, friends, or clients who might be vulnerable to such scams.  I think there should be a requirement that such cards should be traceable!!
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Elderly Hingham Woman Falls Victim
to Green Dot Scam

An 80 year old Hingham woman became the victim of the "Green Dot Scam" Thursday by scammers who called her claiming to be her son and also a Wenham (MA) Police Officer. The scammers said her son had been involved in a car accident and needed money to be released. The elderly victim lost $4,000. (Note: Several details of this scam are included in this release in an effort to help make others aware of some of the tactics used by scammers).

On Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 8:49pm the Hingham Police received a phone call from the Wenham Police who said they had received a call from a Hingham woman who had lost money today from the "Green Dot Scam". Hingham Dispatchers called the woman to let her know Hingham Police Officers would be coming to her house to speak with her.

Officers met her at her home and she explained she received a call at 11:00am today on her cell phone from a man who claimed to be her son. The phone number on the caller ID read "Withheld". Her son said he had been in a single car accident that involved the garage door to a home. His air bag had deployed and he required stitches from a laceration. He said he was being held by the Wenham Police and an Officer wanted to speak with her.

The Officer, identified his name as "Officer Steven Parker", spoke with an accent that she could not identify. He said the homeowner whose house was struck by her son's car was going to sue for damages. Also, in order for her son and his car to be released, she needed to pay $2,000.

The Officer told her to drive to the nearest pharmacy or convenience store and purchase four Green Dot MoneyPaks, each one loaded with $500. She was to return home and wait for another call for more instructions. She purchased 4 Visa Pre-Paid debit cards at a CVS and received a call from "Officer Parker". He told her she purchased the wrong cards and needed to go back to buy Green Dot MoneyPak cards so the transaction could be processed correctly. She returned to CVS and purchased the Green Dot cards, totaling $2,000, and returned home.

A short time later she received a call from "Officer Parker" on her home phone. The caller ID read "....". He told her to scratch off the 14 digit number sequence on the back of the four cards and read them to him. After she did this, he said she would receive another call once the funds had been processed.

At 7pm, "Officer Parker" called her back and said they had received the money, but in order for her son to be released she would have to send another $2,000 by purchasing 4 additional Green Dot MoneyPaks again with $500 on each. She purchased another $2,000 and when "Officer Parker" called back, she again followed his instructions and read the numbers over the phone to him. He then said her son and his car would now be released.

The victim later called her son, who does live in the Wenham, MA, and he explained he had not been in an accident and had not been involved with the Wenham Police at all. She then called the Wenham Police to ask about the phone calls and they called Hingham Police.

The scammers typically target the elderly, using their children/grandchildren as the victims who need help, and add the mention of an injury to help explain why the voice may seem different than their actual child or grandchild's voice, and the cash on the cards is transferred within minutes by the scammers. It is likely the scammers learned of her cell phone, home phone, her son's name, that he actually lives in Wenham, and her age from information available in internet searches as well as social media sites.

 

Tags: Elder Financial Abuse, undue influence, exploitation, duress, fraud