CHARLOTTE COUNTY DETECTIVES ARE INVESTIGATING TWO SCAMS AGAINST ELDERLY WOMEN IN PORT CHARLOTTE. DEPUTIES RECEIVED THE FIRST CALL WEDNESDAY FROM A 78 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO SAID SHE RECEIVED A CALL FROM A MAN WHO CLAIMED TO BE HER GRANDSON. HE SAID HE WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN NEW YORK CITY AND HE NEEDED $2375 BECAUSE THE WOMAN HE HIT WAS FROM SPAIN SO HE NEEDED TO PAY FOR HER DAMAGES. SHE WENT TO WINN DIXIE ON TAMIAMI TRAIL AND WIRED THE MONEY VIA WESTERN UNION. THE FAKE GRANDSON CALLED BACK A LITTLE LATER AND SAID HE NEEDED ANOTHER $2375 BECAUSE ALCOHOL WAS INVOLVED. HE EVEN GOT ANOTHER MAN ON THE PHONE WHO CLAIMED TO BE A NYPD SERGEANT. THE CALLER TOLD HER TO GO TO PUBLIX ON PEACHLAND BOULEVARD THIS TIME, WHICH SHE DID AND WIRED THE MONEY. WITH THE SERVICE CHARGES, THE TOTAL WIRED WAS $5000. THEY TRIED AGAIN A LITTLE LATER, BUT THE WOMAN BECAME SUSPICIOUS AND ASKED THE CALLER WHAT HIS SISTER’S NAME WAS. HE COULDN’T ANSWER AND AFTER GETTING CUSSED OUT FROM THE FAKE SERGEANT, THEY HUNG UP. THE OTHER CALL CAME FROM A 77 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO SAID SHE’D BEEN GETTING CALLS FROM A WOMAN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS ABOUT WINNING THE GLOBAL LOTTERY OF $4 MILLION. SHE MADE THREE SEPARATE WIRE TRANSACTIONS TOTALING NEARLY $3000. BOTH INCIDENTS WERE TURNED OVER TO THE ECONOMIC CRIMES UNIT.
