Hingham Bank Protects Another Elderly Resident From Scammers

HINGHAM, MA — Hingham Institution For Savings employees prevented an elderly resident from being scammed for the second time in 10 days, said the Hingham Police Department in a news release Tuesday.

An officer was dispatched to the bank located in the Linden Ponds senior living center complex on Monday, Feb. 22 after the bank reported to that a customer may be falling for a scam after coming into the bank on her cell phone and requesting to withdraw $7,800. When a bank employee asked to speak to the person on the phone, they hung up.

The 93-year-old woman told police that she received a call from a. man who said her bank information may have been "compromised and requesting that she send money as a protective measure.

During the phone call, the scammer told the woman to stay on the phone while she went to the bank to withdraw the money. Although she gave the caller her Social Security number and other personal information before the bank was able to warn her, she was saved from losing thousands of dollars.

"Again we applaud the bank employees for their alertness and taking the extra steps to prevent the elderly resident from becoming a victim," said the police department in a statement. "We encourage people to share this information with seniors and have conversations about these scams. Awareness as to how these scams occur is the best way we can protect each other."