Victim Location 15042
Total money lost $4,000
Type of a scam Family/Friend Emergency
Grandma (86 years) gets a call from someone impersonating a police officer (Capt Holt), claims grandson has been arrested along with a friend, for drugs and firearms, grandma thinks she is talking to crying grandson and is instructed to not to talk to parents. officer keeps calling to give an update, on the hearing every half hour and is instructed to purchase $4000 dollars in Walmart gift cards for bail, once grandma purchases the gift cards she is instructed to call a number, when the phone call is placed grandma is greeted with a woman indicating "the detention center" grandma asked for Capt Holt and gives the card and pin info.
After scam was realized per walmart manager the gift cards numbers and pins were traced to a "gift cards for cash" type of online business (0 balance) the scammer got $879 per card.