Crime & Safety

Medicare Phone Scam Targeted Senior in West Roxbury

The following article is based on BPDnews.com. Be aware of scammers calling your phone.

Boston Police are warning the public about phone scammers trying to take advantage of senior citizens in West Roxbury.

In two incidents seniors were contacted by unknown callers requesting money, according to BPDnews.com. Both calls have been determined to be a scam. Police are encouraging anyone who receive phone calls of this nature to call 911 immediately. 

Both of the cases related to incidents earlier in the year, but the BPD's investigation revealed the calls were scams.

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  • On Tuesday, July 2, officers spoke to a 79-year-old male in the area of Cheriton Road, who stated that on the previous day an unknown caller by the name of “Carl” claimed to be the victim’s grandson. The victim said the caller stated he and a friend had been involved in a car accident and needed $800. The victim believed the caller was his grandson and loaded two Green Dot Cards with $400 on each, as instructed by the caller, and then gave the caller pin numbers on the back of each card as instructed. The victim didn’t know he was victimized until his grandson came to his house later that day and reported he was not involved in an accident, said police.
  • On June 14, officers spoke with an 81-year-old female who said she received a phone call from someone claiming to be from GMY Medical Benefits in Miami, Florida. The victim said the caller “Stephanie” was claiming to be calling about changes to the victim’s Medicare benefits. The victim said the caller asked for her bank account number and routing number. The caller began to ask for the victim’s social security number, but the resident hung up believing it was a fraudulent call.  and the victim hung up on the caller believing the call to be fraudulent. The caller then called the victim at least five more times.          

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of those who wish to remain anonymous.


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