Caller cites emergency, discloses personal data to get money wired
The West Whiteland Township Police Department is warning residents about a telephone scam that lured the victim by revealing personal information.
A township resident reported that she received a phone call from a subject who identified himself as “Robert” on Monday, Dec. 2. The subject, who spoke with a heavy Mexican accent, told the victim that he was involved in a vehicle accident with the victim’s father. The subject told the victim that he was holding the victim’s father at gunpoint and he demanded $900 to repair the damage to his vehicle. The subject threatened to shoot the victim’s father if she did not send the money, police said.
The caller knew personal information about the victim which led her to believe that the call was genuine. She was told to go to the local Wal-Mart store and use MoneyGram to send $900 to a female in Puerto Rico, which she did, police said. Police said she heard someone screaming in the background and assumed it was her father based on details the caller provided. Then another subject called the victim, told her that he was “Robert’s” cousin, and said they had released her father. The victim called her father, and she discovered the whole incident was a hoax, police said.
Investigators have determined that other departments in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are investigating similar incidents and it appears that they are related. The West Whiteland Township Police Department would like to warn citizens to contact their local police immediately to report similar incidents.
