From the ‘worst people on the planet’ file

Until you have an elderly parent with diminished faculties, scams that target them seem too stupid to have any chance of success. But they do and with great regularity.

It’s important to talk to seniors, of course, but when memory begins to fail, it is hard to remember that your loved one once had a talk with you about not falling victim to some of the filthiest people who walk the planet.

This news release today from the Minneapolis Police Department provides one such example:

The Richfield Police Department has informed the Minneapolis Police Department that an old scam has resurfaced.

Recently, a Richfield senior was approached in the Rainbow Foods parking lot by a black female driving a navy blue Dodge Caravan. TUV835. The suspect is described as 45 to 50 years old, 5’4″, 160 pounds, straight gray hair, and wearing a medium length purple coat. The suspect wore lots of jewelry and was well dressed.

The suspect showed the victim a medium sized package and said that she was a courier. She claimed she was trying to deliver the package but couldn’t because the address was bad. She stated the post office informed her it would go into the dead letter file and would not be delivered.

The suspect asked the victim to sit in her car and use her phone to call her boss regarding the package. She then requested a ride to a nearby bank. The suspect indicated that she went in to see her boss and came back out and said that there was a lot of money in the package and child pornography. She was told by her boss that no one would claim it because they would go to prison if they did. The suspect informed the victim that they could split the $170,000 in cash plus some bonds. She also stated they both needed to get $12,000 each for “fees.”

The suspect and victim drove to several banks in order to obtain money from the victim’s accounts. The suspect never entered any of the financial institutions, and at the last bank, disappeared with the package and $8000 in cash.

Residents, especially seniors, should be wary when approached by strangers. Please call 911 immediately to report suspicious behavior and/or similar solicitations.

(h/t: Curtis Gilbert)