Webster Groves Resident Falls Victim to a Financial Scam
An unknown caller convinced a local resident to give out personal and financial information over the phone.
Ladue-Frontenac and Olivette residents, pay attention to this article. When a stranger calls you on the telephone to tell you that a loved one is in jail in a foreign country and is in need of money in order to be released, it could be the work of a scam artist. Recently, a Webster Groves resident in the first block of North Old Orchard received a call from a stranger who said the resident’s granddaughter had been arrested in Mexico and needed money. Unfortunately, the resident provided personal and financial information to the caller. He later discovered that his granddaughter was perfectly fine and in Kansas City, not in Mexico. Patch contacted Webster Groves Police Department for details on this crime and how to prevent others from …
James Schumaker
11:49 am on Monday, August 27, 2012
This is an old Nigerian ploy that is often called the "Stranded in Spain" scam. Recently, it has been updated by hackers, who take over vulnerable computers and then send pleas for help to everyone on the computer owner's e-mail address list. Since the message appears to come from a friend, the scam is often more effective. more ›