RI Pair Charged With Trying To Scam Milton Resident Out Of $12K

MILTON, MA — Two men from Cranston, RI are charged with larceny after Milton police said they tried to scam a town resident out of $12,000 through claiming the resident's son was in jail and needed the money to secure his release.

The attempted fraud is similar to the "grandparents' scam" that often targets elderly residents, in which they are told a younger family member is in trouble and needs them to pay to get them out of it. Police in several MA towns have reported an increase in those types of scam attempts, and others involving fraudulent unemployment claims, since the start of the coronavirus health emergency.

Police said the Milton incident involved a resident receiving a phone call from a person falsely claiming the victim's son was in jail and needed the $12,000 to be released. The victim was notified that a courier would come to the house to pick up the money for a bail bondsman.

The victim notified Milton police and police said Lt. William West, Det. Louis Bullard and Det. Gennes Seaton were waiting when a gray caravan arrived and one person approached the victim's household.

After patrol officers helped initiate contact with the occupants of the caravan, police said an investigation led to the arrest of the two men.

The vehicle the defendants arrived in was towed to Milton Police Headquarters and held pending the application of a search warrant by detectives.