Police Reports: Scheme Duped a Grandmother Out of $3K

Duped Out of $3 Grand

A 79-year-old Northbrook Condominium woman told police that she received a phone call on June 6 from a man claiming to be her grandson. He said he was on vacation in Spain, had been arrested for drug possession and needed $995 for bail.

He instructed her to go to and send him a personal money order via Western Union. Police said she did that, along with paying a $68 fee to Western Union.

Later that same day, the caller told her he needed an additional $980 for court, so she sent him the money via Western Union, along with the $68 fee. Then on June 7, police said the man called the woman at 9:30 a.m. and told her he needed $995 to pay for an attorney. She sent him the money and paid the $68 fee to Western Union, according to the report.

She recently spoke with a friend, who told her she had been the target of a similar fraud. Police said she called her grandson afterward and found he was fine the whole time.

"Please, when something like this happens, call and confirm it," Lt. Brian McCauley said. "If you have any questions, call the police department. Don't be in a hurry, especially if it involves money being sent via Western Union."

Police are investigating the fraud.

Credit Card Fraud

A 45-year-old Pastors Walk resident told police June 10 that she tried to use her Discover Card at a Target and it was declined. She contacted Discover and was told there was a hold on the card because of a suspicious online purchase for $532 at Cabela's and a single dollar purchase from Groupon, according to the police report.

After she hung up, she listened to her voicemail and found that Discover had left a fraud alert message, police said.

The incident is under Investigation.