According to a press release from the Kennebec County Sheriff's Department, an elderly woman in the town of China was recently scammed out of $18,000.

The woman received a phone call from a man she thought was her son-in-law.  The man explained that he had been in an accident and that the police were holding him in jail.  He explained that she needed to get $18,000 cash together for his bail money.  The person on the phone told her to put the money in an envelop and to make sure she was wearing a mask when she went to the door.

The press release says, in part:

A white male described as, “smaller build and clean cut”,  drove into the driveway in a black Cadillac Escalade with a New York registration plate.  The suspect vehicle was described as having a lot of chrome and fancy looking.  She then handed the money to him and the suspect drove away.

The really scary part of this story is the amount of information that seemed to have about the woman and her family.  That, and the fact they had the guts to show up at the victim's door.

To think, we all thought it was terrible when scammers would prey on our parents and grandparents on the internet or over the phone.  Now, it would appear, they have become brazen enough to show up grandma's door.

If you have any information about who might have perpetrated this scam, please call Detective Sergeant Scott Mills at 207.623.3614 extension 1254.


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