Elderly Woman Loses More Than $27K In Phone Scam

MERCER COUNTY (KDKA) -- An elderly woman in Mercer lost more than $27,000 in a phone scam last week.

According to state police, an actor called a 94-year-old woman in Mercer, claiming he was a police officer who had arrested her grandson for drug possession. He then asked her to send money to bail her grandson out of jail.

The victim sent money to Michigan on three different occasions between Nov. 2 and Nov. 7. She sent a total of $27,650 to the scammer.

Similar scams, with the scammer calling an elderly person and claiming to be their grandchild and in need of money, have been popular in the past.

Last month, Pittsburgh Police were investigating two cases of people being contacted about a relative being kidnapped for ransom.

Police say if you get a call like this, ask the caller specific questions to verify their identity, try getting in touch with other family members before sending any money and contact police.

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