Scammer Tricks Local Man, Walmart Saves the Day

An elderly Port Washington man was lucky to have headed to Walmart after contacted by a scammer claiming to be his grandson stranded in Mexico.

The Port Washington police received a call about the incident at 10:23 a.m. Thursday. The elderly man had received a phone call, during which the caller told the man he needed to wire money to Haiti to help his grandson who supposedly was in Mexico, according to police reports.

The man, trusting the caller, withdrew money and then went to Walmart, the report said. Walmart staff recognized what was happening and told the man it was a scam, instructing him to return his money to the bank. 

The man did not lose any money.

This incident comes just a couple days after the police department issued a press release warning residents of its increasing use in the area.

"The grandparent scam which has been around for a few years is on the rise this holiday season," the release said.