Lottery scam victim heading to bank saved by alert Uber driver, Massachusetts cops say

An alert Uber driver helped thwart a scam targeting one of their passengers, police in Massachusetts say.

During a ride to a Norwood bank, the driver was engaged in a conversation with a “elderly female” passenger, according to a Facebook post from the Norwood Police Department. Through that conversation, the Uber driver learned the woman was going to the bank following a phone call she received.

The caller told her she won a $2 million lottery prize, police say, but she first needed to send them a check for $1,500 “for tax purposes,” according to WCVB.

Without the woman’s permission, police say someone then requested an Uber Trip from the woman’s home to the bank.

But as she chatted about her supposed lottery win, the driver “found these circumstances suspicious” and prompted her to call police.

“Great work by that Uber driver as their actions most likely prevented a bank larceny scheme,” police said.

The police department is investigating this case, in partnership with Uber’s public safety response portal.

“This incident serves as a reminder to be aware of potential bank scams where a party is notified of winning a large sum of money but needs to deposit a smaller amount of money to receive the funds,” police said. “The elderly are especially vulnerable to this type of scam so please check in with any elderly family or friends and make them aware of this potential scam.”

Last year, 105,301 victims over 60 lost more than $966,062,236 to fraud, according to the FBI’s 2020 Elder Fraud Report.

“Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite,” the FBI says. “They also usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit — all of which make them attractive to scammers.”

This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Lottery scam victim heading to bank saved by alert Uber driver, Massachusetts cops say."