Two men have been arrested in Muskegon County for scamming elderly persons out of tens of thousands of dollars, while authorities are asking for unknown victims to come forward.
According to the Muskegon County Sheriff’s office, two men are currently being held in the Muskegon County Jail for running a scam that duped unsuspecting grandparents.
The way the scam works is this: using social media sites, the scammers learn the name of an elderly person’s grandson. They then call that elderly person and pretend to be their loved one with some bad news: They had too much to drink, had been in a bad car crash, and are currently in jail: oh, and please, don’t tell Mom and Dad.
If the grandparent questions why they don’t sound like their grandson, the scammer claims to either have strep throat, or they broke their nose in the accident. They then quickly turn the phone call over to another scammer posing as their attorney, who says he needs money now to bond their grandson out of jail.
In Muskegon County, a Blue Lake woman called police after already giving the scammers $9000 after she became suspicious when they asked for more. Detectives from the Safe Seniors Task Force then set up a sting using the woman’s help, luring the scammers to her address with the promise of an additional $25,000. Both men were placed under arrest and face up to 20 years in prison.
The Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office says, a number of area residents have already come forward saying they had fallen victim to the same scam.
Any Muskegon County resident who has had a similar experience is asked to the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office at 231-724-7135, or contact AgeWell services.
