'You should be inclined to be skeptical' police chief says about cash scam targeting elderly

The calls seemed so real.

It played on their emotions — relatives were in jail and needed cash to post bond.

But two Westmoreland County women were too wise and didn’t fall for the trick. Both received similar phone calls this week as state police warn residents of numerous reports of the “Grandparent Scam” in the region.

Carol Deverse, 76, of Hempfield said a caller on Wednesday claiming to be her son asked for money to post bail after supposedly being involved in a crash.

“This person had an answer for everything I asked,” she said. “And I said, ‘This doesn’t sound like you.’ ”

The call ended when she passed the phone to her husband Tony, 77, and he asked for the caller’s date of birth, which would have been an easy answer if it was indeed their son.

A Penn Township woman in her 80s reported receiving a similar call Tuesday. She declined to be identified for this story.

She was led to believe her grandson was being held at the Westmoreland County Courthouse and needed money to post bond after being involved in a crash. The woman said she was transferred to someone who claimed to be an attorney and said $1,500 was needed. The purported attorney was working to set up a place near her home to exchange the money.

Conversations with family after the call led her to believe she was being targeted by scammers.

When the person who claimed to be the attorney attempted later to set up the meeting location, she called his bluff. He responded with name-calling.

“I said, ‘Attorneys don’t talk like that,’ ” and hung up.

Both women shared their stories in hopes of preventing others from falling for the ruse.

Four men were arrested last year on police accusations that they took at least $250,000 from 10 senior citizens in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties under the guise of grandchildren needing bail money.

State police in Indiana County said this week at least 12 reports about the scam have been received, and others were reported in Cambria County. Two women reported they gave $34,500 to a “courier,” according to troopers.

Trooper Steve Limani said the Greensburg station has been “inundated” the past couple of weeks with reports of scams, mostly targeting senior citizens.

“I think that people need to know that there’s some questions that they have to ask,” Deverse said. “Ninety-nine percent of me knew that this wasn’t (my son), but there was just that 1% — Was that my son? Could he really be in jail? Could he be needing help?”

She suggested asking the caller’s date of birth, what high school they went to, a maiden name or any other personal detail a scammer would be unlikely to know.

“At least try to verify who the person is,” she said. “It was very upsetting, to say the least. I was very shook up.”

So was the Penn Township woman. In the aftermath, she realized common sense told her the story just didn’t add up. If her grandson really was jailed, she could post his bond herself, not hand the money over to someone.

The caller in her instance urged her to keep the situation a secret, she said.

“Right there should tell you,” she said. “Right then and there.”

Penn Township police Chief John Otto said it’s unfortunate scammers are targeting the older generation.

“They’re good people that want to help when this type of situation comes into their life,” he said. “They are inclined to help… when, unfortunately, in 2022, you should be inclined to be skeptical.”

Investigating a caller’s claims is one avenue if a person wants to verify the authenticity, he said. Otherwise, just hang up. Detective Brad Buchsbaum said bail typically is posted at the jail, not in an exchange of money or other forms of payment with an unknown person.

In the arrests last year, troopers set up a sting with the help of a Bethel Park man who was contacted by the suspects, three of whom were indicted later in federal court.

The Penn Township woman said that ending would’ve been ideal for her situation.

“I just wish I would’ve continued on with it so the person could’ve been caught,” she said.

The Federal Trade Commission warns citizens to be vigilant against this type of family emergency scam, which can come in various forms and prey on the elderly. The commission warns to not give personal information or hand over cash, gift cards or wire money. Instead, hang up and check with family members to see if the story is accurate.