The victim was contacted by someone claiming to be a family member in jail.
NEWFIELD -- A borough resident was scammed out of $6,000 after he was convinced that a relative was in trouble with the law, according to police,
The victim contacted police Thursday to report the incident, which began with a phone call from someone claiming to be a family member.
The caller said he had just been arrested out of the area and needed help with bail money. He then put someone on the phone identified as "Officer Bailey," who told the victim that he needed to send $2,000 in order to secure the family member's release from custody.
The victim was told to go to Best Buy and purchase $2,000 in iTunes gift cards and then contact "Officer Bailey."
The scammer had the victim read the numbers off the back of the card to complete the transaction.
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A short time later, the victim was contacted again by the same scammers with a claim that an additional $2,000 was needed. The victim purchased another $2,000 in iTunes gift cards and followed the same process.
The next day, the fake family member called again to say that he needed another $2,000 to pay fines. Once again, the victim complied.
The investigation into the case is ongoing, Newfield Police said. Anyone with information on this incident or other scams is asked to contact borough police at 856-697-3383.
While police did not say if the caller claimed to be a grandchild of the victim, this type of fraud is generally referred to as the "grandparent scam." The caller with claim to be a grandchild in need of money to get out of jail, often in another state or country.
Authorities reminded residents to speak with friends and family members about these types of scams.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.