A DeLand couple was scammed out of $25,000 after they received multiple calls from scammers posing as legal representatives who were requesting help for their granddaughter’s involvement in a bogus vehicular homicide incident.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating an incident in which two grandparents were contacted by a caller who pretended to be their granddaughter and asserted that she was in legal trouble.
According to authorities, the scammer told the grandparents that the granddaughter was involved in a vehicle accident and needed $12,500 for bail to be released from jail.
The scammer told the couple that a courier would pick up the money and instructed them to place it in a shoebox. The couple secured the money and notified the scammer when it was ready. A short time later, a male courier collected the money and drove away.
A few hours later, the couple received another phone call from a woman who claimed to be the granddaughter’s lawyer. The fake lawyer stated that the other accident victim was pregnant and that the baby had died. As a result, the scammer told the grandparents that their granddaughter was possibly going to be charged with vehicular homicide and the judge set bail to $25,000.
The scammer asked the couple for another $12,500, and the victims again complied. A different driver showed up to their home a short time later and picked up the money.
A third call came from a man who claimed he was a prosecutor in the case and said another $10,000 was needed to help their granddaughter avoid prison for 10 years. At that point, the couple suspected that something was wrong and contacted the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office for help.
Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding this or other scams to contact the VCSO non-emergency line at 386-248-1777.