Earlier this month, an elderly Hingham resident fell victim to a scam known as the "Grandparent Scam" and lost $5,000. The 89 year old man came to the Police Station with his family to report that he received a call on May 2, 2017 from a man who said his name was "Attorney Martin O’Brien". The caller, described as firm and persistent, said that the resident’s grandson had been arrested with 2 1/2 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of his car. 

The caller said the resident could help his grandson from getting into further trouble. The resident believed the caller said his grandson was in California. The caller ID listed as number 250-271-0751.

The resident said he pleaded with the caller to let him call his daughter (his grandson’s mother) but the caller told him not to. The caller told him he needed to go to Target and purchase $5,000 worth of store gift cards and call back with the numbers on the cards. The resident went to Target in Hanover, MA and purchased 3 store gift cards (two for $2,000 and one for $1,000). 

The resident then called the man back and provided all the numbers on the gift cards. He was later contacted by his bank due to his large purchase. He realized he had been the victim of a scam.