CENTRAL JERSEY: Police warn of ‘bail money’ telephone scam on grandparents

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
In the latest twist in an ongoing scam, a Princeton woman was scammed out $2,000 after she received a phone call from a man who purported to be a police officer from the New York Police Department.
The woman, who lives on Maclean Circle, told Princeton police that the caller said she needed to send $2,000 to post bail for a family member who was in trouble.
After sending the money to the would-be New York Police Department police officer by using Apple iTune gift cards, she realized that the transaction was a fraud.
That’s because police do not ask or receive bail over the telephone — especially in the form of iTune cards or money cards.
The Princeton woman is not alone, according to area police departments. Elderly residents and grandparents have been targeted by the scammers, who have turned to bail bond scams to get money from the unsuspecting victims.
This is how it works.
The caller will contact an elderly resident and claim to represent a police department. The caller will tell the victim that the law enforcement agency has their grandchild in custody and that he or she needs bail to be posted to be released.
The bail amount is sought in the form of Apple iTune cards, money cards or cash wire transfers.
Sometimes, the caller will put a young-sounding person on the phone to impersonate the victim’s grandchild or family member. The young person will ask the victim not to call his or her parents, but to send the money so he or she can be released.
Police said the callers are good at what they do. They will research the victim’s grandchild or family member, so they can sound knowledgeable about the person. They can be very convincing and charismatic, police said.
But the scam can be detected by placing a simple phone call to the grandchild or the grandchild’s parents, ignoring any requests not to call family members. To avoid becoming a victim, just hang up, police said.