Muskego Police Warn of Scam Targeting Older Residents

The Muskego Police Department is particularly concerned over a scam that seems to be targeting specifically Muskego residents, using personal information in order to obtain money.

Detective Steven Westphal contacted Muskego Patch to get the word out on a scam that is targeting elderly residents with grandchildren from the phone number 438-934-9422, which he said is a number originating from Montreal, Canada.

The caller identifies himself or herself as a public defender who is representing the victim's grandchild, and uses their name to gain the victim's trust, according to Westphal. They explain that they will need bail money forwarded to them quickly to get the grandchild out of jail. Generally the incident involves an OWI arrest, Westphal said, and the victim is asked to send money via Moneygram from Walmart.

What has police concerned is that on Wednesday alone, two victims in Muskego came forward to report nearly identical incidents, and in one case, money had been sent. Additionally troubling is the use of family names.

Westphal urged anyone who has received a similar call, whether money was sent or not, should contact MPD at 262-679-4130. In general, you should never send money to someone you do not know, or cannot confirm their story.

While he said it is nearly impossible to retrieve money once it's been sent, finding the scammers can be made easier if residents can work with police.