Police foil cash scam and return money to family

EAST GOSHEN » Police were able to intercept a package of cash that was part of a scam targeting the elderly and recover the money as it was on its way south, according to a press release issued Wednesday.

According to Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Detective Lieutenant William Cahill, on Tuesday afternoon department received a report from the family member of an 83-year-old East Goshen resident, who said that the woman had received a call from “her grandson” who needed $12,000 mailed to an address in Miami, Fla.

The person who called the woman had identified himself as a police officer, and told the woman that her grandson was in police custody for drugs after a traffic stop. Believing the story, the woman drove to a local United Parcel Service store and mailed $12,000 in one hundred dollars bills to an address provided in Florida.

Police immediately launched investigation to track the package of cash and determined that it was in transit from West Chester to the UPS terminal at the Philadelphia International Airport located. WEGO officers contacted the Tinicum Police Department, in whose jurisdiction the airport is located, about the scam, who then contacted the UPS Security Supervisor working at the terminal.

The UPS Security Supervisor and his team intercepted the envelope of cash and immediately turned it over to a WEGO officer on Tuesday. The cash was returned to family on Wednesday.

Cahill said the department had opened an investigation into the matter in cooperation with the Miami, Fla., Police Department.

In the release, Cahill warned residents to never fall for these scams or send money or buy pre-paid credit cards for a family member without first checking the information and validating the emergency. “The people behind these scams are very convincing and will normally urge the person to keep the matter confidential,” the release stated.