Police Log: Westwood PD, Target Put Brakes on "Grandchild in Jail" Scam

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

The news described in Westwood Minute’s Police Log article is based on selected information from the Westwood Police Department’s daily log and information provided by Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and police staff.

Monday, July 19th: Overly Attached to a Place

7:10 p.m. A resident of Sunrise Road called police about a man who was in the resident’s driveway, refusing to leave. The man in question is in his 60s and is known to have lived in an apartment in Medfield at some time.  He has been the subject of a number of well-being checks by police in the last few months. Relatives of the man used to reside at the address, but they have moved.

Officers assisted the man with finding lodging. Attempts to find a room nearby were unsuccessful, but police obtained lodging for him at Econo Lodge in Sharon.

Thursday, July 22nd: Was it Vandalism, Attempted Break-in, or Just the House Settling?

12:24 a.m. A resident of a private home on Washington Street reported to police a broken window. The resident indicated it may have been an attempted break-in. The resident told police that the house alarm had activated. The resident went outside to investigate, finding nothing amiss. However, upon re-entering the home and examining the alarm, the resident learned that the problem originated in the basement. Upon investigating, the resident found a broken window there.

The responding police officer examined the window and observed an intact screen on the outside of the window, but noted that the window glass behind the screen was broken. The cause of the broken window is unknown.

Friday, July 23rd: Mind Your Money

10:10 a.m. Police responded to a customer who was calling from Prime Audi on Providence Highway to report $3,000 in cash was missing. The Prime Audi customer is a resident of Norfolk. The customer dropped off a car on the morning of July 22nd to be serviced. After dropping off the car, the customer remembered leaving $3,000 cash in the center console of the car, and returned to Prime Audi at 5:45 p.m. that same day. However, the money was gone.

The responding officer learned from the dealership manager that Prime Audi was declining the customer’s request for a reimbursement for the lost money. The customer is considering whether to file an auto insurance claim.

Saturday, July 24th:  Was it Vandalism or an Accident, a Foiled Scam, and More

8:52 a.m. A man walking his dog around Westwood High School reported to police possible vandalism. An outdoor basketball hoop at the high school had a shattered backboard glass. The investigating officer reported that the metal basketball hoop was bent forward.  It appeared as if someone had performed a forceful dunk or someone had been hanging from the hoop.

2:02 p.m. A store security officer at Target in University Station contacted police upon becoming suspicious of a scam in progress when an elderly woman attempted to purchase $4,000 in Target gift cards. Police learned that the elderly woman was a Dedham resident who had received a call from someone she believed to be her grandson asking for her help. 

At his urging, she went to Target to purchase thousands of dollars of gift cards. The police officer and Target intervened. The officer was able to obtain the phone number of the person who had called her. It was associated with King County in Washington state.

Lt. Sheehy notes that the scammer's pattern in this instance is generally known as the “grandchild in jail scam.” He praised Target for being alert and preventing a senior citizen from being victimized. Lt. Sheehy notes that cash assistance for a relative who is legitimately in trouble is highly unlikely to be requested in the form of gift cards.

For more local news like this, click here to subscribe to

Westwood Minute's free daily newsletter!

3:55 p.m. A shopper at University Station reported to police that she and her daughter were approached in the parking lot by a 35 to 40 year old Hispanic female with straight, black hair who claimed to have struck the shopper’s car. The shopper’s car had very minor scrapes on it.  It was unclear if any accident had actually occurred. Upon request, the shopper shared her driver’s license and car registration information, which the other lady photographed on a cell phone. The lady then left without a reciprocal exchange of information.

The shopper was able to provide the lady’s license plate number to police, however. Police found several phone numbers associated with it. Calls to the phone numbers were unsuccessful and were not answered.

4:17 p.m. A Westwood resident reported that after working out at Lifetime Fitness between 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., he returned to the gym’s locker room to find his gym bag had been stolen. The gym bag contained his wallet, identification, credit cards, a change of clothes and keys.  A Westwood Police detective is conducting a follow-up investigation.

Sunday, July 25th: Vandalism or Good Samaritan's Attempt at Beautification?

2:18 p.m. A resident of Hillview Road reported a possible case of vandalism. The responding officer arrived and was shown some shrubs that had been trimmed without the homeowner’s permission. It is unknown who did the trimming.

Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and the Westwood Police Department for contributing information for this article. 

Stay current with what's happening around town by subscribing to Westwood Minute's daily email newsletter. It’s free! Just click on the blue "Sign Up" button below.