June 23,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood bog
Tenafly NJ, Tenafly Police Department issue a **** PHONE SCAM ALERT ****Within the last hour we were fortunate enough to stop a scam attempt after a resident came into our headquarters, frantically claiming that her grandson had been arrested in New York City. The elderly resident had just received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the “NYPD 2nd Precinct”, telling her to purchase $1500 in Walgreens gift-cards to pay her grandson’s bail. The resident had already gone to the bank and had the cash in her hands when she made a smart decision to stop at our department to “double-check” if this was the best way to help her grandson. Luckily, we were able to verify that her grandson was fine and that these callers were indeed the lowest-of-low criminals who prey on our most vulnerable populations. These unscrupulous criminals prey on unsuspecting victims by pretending to be members of law enforcement, public utility workers, or other trust-worthy professionals.
Please take time to discuss these types of scams with anyone in your family who you feel may be a potential victim. Remember: Always question why a legitimate business, law enforcement agency, or other suspicious caller would need you to “immediately” purchase gift cards or wire money through Western Union to pay for a relative’s bail, “utility service restoration” charges for your home, or other highly suspicious or unverifiable fees. If you ever have a question about the authenticity of someone claiming to be in law enforcement, or other public sector profession, please call your local police department to verifty their identity before you transfer any money.
