Uber driver saves elderly woman from nearly $25k scam in South Jersey

PHILADELPHIA - A 78-year-old woman would have become another innocent scam victim if it wasn't for the quick-thinking actions of her compassionate Uber driver.

What we know:

The Washington Township woman received a text claiming that her iCloud account was compromised, along with a fraudulent link leading to a phone number in Hawaii.

When she called, a woman told her she needed to pay a fee to resolve the issue, asking how much money she had in her account.

The elderly woman was then told to withdraw the entire amount, totaling $24,600.

While at the bank, she received a call from a number appearing to be the official Washington Township Police Department.

A man pretending to be a police officer told her to contact "David," who was posing as a banker and pressured her to quickly bring the cash to a location on Fries Mill Road.

She was on her way in an Uber, when police say the driver "sensed something was wrong, and stepped in."

The Uber driver warned her she was being scammed after learning she was carrying a large sum of money to meet people she didn't know.

The Good Samaritan then immediately drove the woman back to the bank so she could re-deposit her money.

What they're saying:

"These scammers are sophisticated and use technology to make their calls appear legitimate—even using our police department’s phone number to gain trust. This could happen to anyone!" Washington Township Police said.

What's next:

In response to this most recent scam, the department is holding a senior scam seminar at the Senior Center at 315 Greentree Road on March 27 at 11 a.m.

"We’re partnering with the FBI to teach seniors and their families how to recognize and prevent scams like this."

You can sign up for the seminar by calling the Senior Center or the police chief's office.