On August 11, 2011 police responded to the residence of an 85-year-old Wayland man regarding an attempted scam. The man received a telephone call from a person purporting to be his grandson. The caller stated that he was in Cancun, Mexico, and had been involved in a traffic accident. He said that the police there required him to pay $3,420 in restitution for damages before he could be released. He instructed the Wayland resident to go to the nearest Western Union location and wire the funds to a Western Union office in Mexico City. Fortunately, the man became suspicious and contacted other family members and was able to determine that his grandson was, in fact, in Cape Cod on vacation and not in Mexico.

In this case no money was sent, so no loss was incurred. In a similar case two years ago, another Wayland resident actually sent the money to a Western Union office. Although charges were lodged in another jurisdiction in this case, no money has been recovered. 

This scam targets the elderly and is very convincing because the scammers often are able to determine names and relationships through social media. Police encourage all residents who receive a call of this nature, to contact the Wayland Police Department so we can verify the validity of the call before funds are sent. Family members are encouraged to talk to those people in their family, who may be vulnerable to such a scam, and advise them to verify with the police or a trusted family member before sending money via Western Union. The likelihood of retrieving money sent in these cases is very slim. The best defense against these scams is through education and prevention.

Source:  Wayland Police Department Press Release