Police Issue Phone Scam Warning After Elderly Couple Conned

Toms River police again are warning residents to be vigilant for phone scammers, after an elderly East Dover couple was conned out of $2,000.

The couple was promised a big payday if they wired money to a man claiming they had won the “Senior Lottery,” said Chief of Police Michael Mastronardy.

The couple, both 83 years old, inquired “several times” if the caller was trying to scam them. They “were assured it was not and that they were to receive $750,000 and only had to cover some fees for their winnings,” Mastronardy said.

The couple purchased a $500 gift card and wired $1,500 to a phone number with an 876 area code, which apparently is in Jamaica, the chief said. Officer Larry DiFabio is investigating the incident.

Police are also urging residents to be cautious of another phone scam during which the caller may pretend to be a relative who is in trouble. A 90-year-old township woman was conned out of more than $11,000 in such a scam in June.