US woman loses RM85,000 in phone scam with a twist

After multiple phone conversations with the man claiming to be an attorney, the woman agreed to withdraw money for bail. A person reportedly showed up to the woman's house to collect the money. — Photo by Taylor Grote on Unsplash

ROCHESTER: An 87-year-old Rochester woman was scammed out of US$18,000 (RM85,158) with a common scam that had a not-so common twist.

According to a Rochester Police report, the woman received a phone call Thursday morning, Feb 22, from someone claiming to be her son, who lives in Colorado. The man told her he had been in a car crash, wasn't hurt but was in jail and needed money for bail. He gave her a phone number, which was reportedly for an attorney she could call.