Gilroy – An alert bank clerk and police prevented an elderly man
from getting scammed out of $8,000 Tuesday in a fraud scheme found
frequently on the Internet.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – An alert bank clerk and police prevented an elderly man from getting scammed out of $8,000 Tuesday in a fraud scheme found frequently on the Internet.
The man was withdrawing the money and told the clerk at 1st United Federal Credit Union it was for a Nigerian man who was in the parking lot and said he needed financial help, in exchange for a bigger payback later.
The clerk notified the Gilroy Police Department. Before officers arrived, a Sheriff’s Office deputy happened to drive through the Church Street parking lot, and the male suspect fled, police said. No suspect information was immediately available.
Police urged residents to be cautious and to alert officers if someone unknown to them requests a large amount of money.
Elderly men and women in Gilroy and other areas have been targeted by similar scams. Last year, one man withdrew thousands of dollars after someone told him they were holding a winning lottery ticket.
Officers also have received calls from residents with unsolicited e-mails claiming to be from some ousted high-ranking official from Nigeria or another foreign country. This is a well-known scam, that seeks to get people’s personal information.
Contact the Gilroy Police Department at 846-0350.
