Elderly Woman Swindled by Phone Scammers

An 83-year-old Greenfield woman was swindled out of $2,400 through a popular phone scam that preys on elderly people.

According to the Greenfield Police Department report, the woman received a phone call from someone who claimed her grandson was in a Mexican jail.

The caller said his name was “John Spencer” from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and told the woman her grandson was stopped by police and needed $2,400 to get out of jail.

A second person got on the phone and identified himself as the woman’s grandson, using her grandson’s real name. He told the woman he was in Mexico for a funeral, was stopped by police and they found heroin in his friend's car.

“John Spencer” got back on the phone and told the woman her grandson was going to testify against his friends and if someone found out, her grandson would certainly be hurt.

The woman went to Walmart, 6701 S. 27th St., Franklin, and sent the money via Western Union to an address in Mexico.

Once the woman returned home, she made contact with her grandson, who was in the Milwaukee area.