Scammers swindle New Jersey grandmother out of thousands of dollars by posing as her grandson
GLOUCESTER, N.J. - An 82-year-old woman in Gloucester County, NJ said half of her savings are now gone after scammers pulled on her heartstrings.
Libby Maurer of Deptford Township said she received a phone call on September 16. She believed it was her grandson on the line.
"I was so emotional that I didn’t think straight at all. This person was hysterical crying on the phone and said I was in a car accident, I broke my nose and I have a split lip," said Maurer. "You need to call my lawyer, you need to get me out, don’t tell anybody."
Maurer said the caller explained he was in a car crash with a woman who is eight months pregnant and, as a result, in jail.
The caller instructed Maurer to dial a phone number for a public defender. The man on the other line said bail was $80-thousand and she would need to pay ten percent in cash to bail her grandson out of jail.
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"I had fallen a couple weeks before, I said I haven’t driven in two weeks and I’m on oxygen 24-7, and he said you are the only one that can get it, and I was going to give him my credit card and he said no it has to be cash," said Maurer.
Deptford Township Police detectives are investigating and said a key piece of evidence is surveillance video that shows the grandmother handing over the shoebox of cash.
Maurer said the scammers told her to put the cash between two magazines and into the box.
"I mean where is the humanity in this crime. It’s an 82-year-old grandmother who is on oxygen. She’s home alone. The suspect in this case really worked on her emotions," said Detective Corporal Robert Jones. "These are funds that they need to survive and it’s just heartless individuals that can perpetrate something like this."
Surveillance video captured the suspect who police describe as a white male, clean shaven, wearing a black tee shirt and black shorts. The man was driving a silver Hyundai Elantra "Touring" edition that could’ve been a model year 2009-2012.
"If you don’t recognize the number that’s calling you don’t answer it," said Det. Cpl. Jones. "The Federal Trade Commission makes it very clear, slam the scam. If there’s anything that feels wrong about it, it probably is, just hang up. If it feels suspicious after the fact, call police or a trusted family member immediately."
Maurer said she finally got a phone call from her grandson later that day, and realized it was a scam all along.
"I was the perfect Patsy, and there were so many red flags," said Maurer.
If you have any information on this case, reach out to Detective Maureen Packer via email at MPacker@deptford-nj.org or call 856-845-6300. You can also submit an anonymous tip by emailing tips@deptford-nj.com.