Elderly Woman Loses $14,000 In Con Outside West Bloomfield Kroger [SUSPECT PHOTOS]
WEST BLOOMFIELD (WWJ) - Police in West Bloomfield are looking for four people who they say conned an 80-year-old woman into giving them $14,000.
Deputy Chief Curt Lawson says two women approached the victim outside a Kroger store with a scam.
"The gained her trust. They spent almost an hour with her with different role-players, convincing her that there was a large amount of money found, and they were going to share it with her," Lawson told WWJ's Zahra Huber.
"Part of the con was that she had to contribute a large amount of money — which turned out to be $14,000 — and in turn she would get $25,000."
The first suspect is described as a black female, around 50 years old, 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 150-160 lbs. She was wearing a puffy white winter coat and a scarf.
The second suspect is a white female, 50-60 years old, around 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 170-180 lbs. She was wearing glasses.
Police are also looking for two men who are believed to have been involved.
Lawson said this isn't the first report of fraud they've gotten recently — and there's been quite a variety.
"We have people that call saying that they're the IRS and that they owe back taxes, and that they must immediately pay those back taxes or they're going to be subject to arrest," he said.
"We've had other frauds where individuals call and pretend that they're police officers. A member of their family has been arrested and they have to post a bond right away."
Lawson offered this advice:
"If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't right. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is," he said.
"We really want our residents to know, and the community to know, that (they should) vet these things with a third party. Contact your police department, ask is about it. We're very familiar with all these different frauds that are going on in the area, and we can give you some advice and at least check them out for you."
Anyone who may know the suspects in the photos or who has any information about this crime is urged to call West Bloomfield police at 248-975-9200.
