Grandparent scams reported in Boardman

Staff report

BOARDMAN

Township police received numerous reports of fraud and identity theft targeting grandparents over the last several days.

In one report, a 76-year-old woman said she lost more than $10,000 in what’s commonly known as the grandparent scam. The scam targets elderly people with phone calls in which the caller identifies themself as a grandchild who is in trouble and needs money.

In this case, reported Friday, the woman told police that the caller claimed to be her grandson and said he had gotten into a car accident. The caller convinced the woman to send several thousands dollars worth of Best Buy gift cards, according to the report.

In a report from Saturday, an 84-year-old man said he lost $5,000 in a similar scam in which a caller claimed to be a grandson who was in jail. The man told police he sent 10 $500 Target gift cards.

Read more about the matter in Tuesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.