Crime & Safety

Belmont Police Warn Residents of "Grandson Scam"

One Belmont victim lost nearly $30,000 to the scam.

The is warning residents of a recent scam that has claimed thousands of dollars from at least four victims.

The “Grandson Scam,” as the Police Department calls it, typically targets senior citizens and has become increasingly common in Belmont in the past month.

The scam begins when a male suspect calls a resident, usually a senior, and identifies himself as the “grandson” of the resident, Belmont police Lt. Pat Halleran said.

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The suspect will then tell the victim that they either have been involved in an accident or have been arrested and need money.

The suspect goes on to say that his parents don't know about the issue and he is afraid to tell them, which is why the “grandson” is appealing to the victim for help, Halleran said.

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The suspect continues by saying he wants to keep the information fro his parents and other relatives, and will ask the victim to send money by wire, typically overseas or to an out-of-state location, according to Halleran.

Three such incidents have been reported in July. In two of the cases, the victims became suspicious and hung up on the caller.

But in the third case, an 89-year-old Belmont woman wired about $6,000 to Mexico City to post bail for her “son who had been arrested on drug charges,” Halleran said.

And in June, a 79-year-old Belmont woman received a call from a male claiming to be her grandson who said he “had been in a traffic accident with tourists from Lebanon and had been arrested for DUI,” according to Halleran.

The suspect told the woman that if he paid for the damages, the charges would be dropped.

Over the next several days, the woman wired nearly $30,000 to Beirut, Lebanon.

The suspects in each of these cases are described as “persistent” and have called victims back, even after having been confronted.

The Belmont Police Department is investigating these cases and urge anyone with a similar situation to call police.

“Often victims don’t report having been victimized because they are embarrassed that they were taken in, however, it is vital that victims come forward,” Belmont Police Chief Don Mattei said in a statement.

Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, will hold a on Monday, July 18, at the Twin Pines Senior and Community Center, to help senior residents identify and deal with a potential scam.

“We encourage people to become educated about this as well as other scams and remind them to be cautious about anyone who calls asking for money,” Mattei said.


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