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Posted: Monday, 29 June 2009 6:41AM
Seniors beware ripoff phone calls
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Bogus calls from 'jail' ripping off North Shore seniors
Jun 29, 2009
(WILMETTE) It was shortly after noon when a 70-year-old Wilmette man received a call from a jail in Canada.
"Grandpa,'' the caller claimed, "this is your oldest, handsomest grandson.''
"Owen?'' the Wilmette man responded.
Yes, the caller said, he was Owen. Then the caller told an elaborate tale of getting jailed after being in a car accident. The caller said he needed $4,150 to pay for car repairs.
The Wilmette man sent the money via MoneyGram, but as it turns out, the caller wasn't the man's grandson.
Police said the call received earlier this month was similar to at least three others received recently by elderly residents in two North Shore suburbs, and urged others to be wary.
In one case, an 82-year-old Wilmette man reported a "Canadian police officer'' called claiming the man's "grandnephew'' had been caught poaching and needed $3,400 to get out of jail. The Wilmette man wired the money, and another $3,200 for legal fees, before he learned his grandnephew had never left home.
Another resident checked with his son when someone claiming to be his grandson, Charlie, called, supposedly from a jail in Canada, asking for $3,500 bail. The resident did not send the money.
Last year, a Highland Park woman received a call from someone claiming to be her grandson and who said he had been arrested in Canada for ice fishing on tribal lands without permission. If he could not post bail, the caller said, he would have to wait 10 days in jail for his court date. The Highland Park woman never sent the money.
The con artists take advantage of older adults who are eager to help a family member, police said.
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