Bloomfield Township Man Falls Victim to 'Grandson' Scam

Bloomfield Township

Detectives with the Bloomfield Township Police Department are investigating another case of what's commonly known as the 'grandparent scam,' involving a local victim who was tricked into wiring money for a relative in trouble, reports said.

The resident in 4000 Block of Pine Tree Trail told police that someone that identified himself as an officer with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico called on April 29 and said his grandson under arrest and in a Mexican jail. The caller said the grandson needed money wired immediately to bail him out.

The man wired the undisclosed amount of money to the third party, and later learned his grandson was still in Michigan.

The department issued a warning to residents about the scam in February after another victim reported a similar story.

The scam itself seemed to originate in 2008, but has grown more sophisticated and profitable with social networking sites, according to the FBI warns. A criminal can sometimes uncover personal information about their targets and make the phone impersonations more believe able.

Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim, according to the FBI website:

• Resist the pressure to act quickly.
• Try to contact your grandchild or another family member to determine whether or not the call is legitimate.
• Never wire money based on a request made over the phone or in an e-mail, especially overseas. Wiring money is like giving cash—once you send it, you can’t get it back.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents listed here should call the department at 248-433-7752.

Bloomfield Hills

Officials with the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety reported no major police or fire related incidents during the past week.

For questions about this blotter, email Art.Aisner@Patch.com.