Pennsylvania Couple Loses Over $30,000 To Scammers Pretending to be Their Daughter In Distress

A couple from Pennsylvania lost more than $30,000 after the scammers posed as their children. The incident took place last Saturday in the Hidden Ponds neighborhood of Warwick Township, Pennsylvania. In a conversation with ABC Philadelphia affiliate WPVI, the couple disclosed that they had fallen victim to the scam after receiving a phone in which the couple's daughter sounded distressed. 

"We never thought this could happen to us. We know better, we know better, we know better," the woman said. "If we can save anyone from going through this, that's why we decided to do this."

The couple reportedly received a frantic phone call from a sobbing woman who sounded like their daughter. According to officials, the scammers seemed to be sophisticated and very manipulative.

"We're parents, we know our child, we know the sound of her voice, we know her voice patterns, and we know her cry, and I swear to you that sobbing sounded just like my child," the woman said.

On the phone, the couple was then informed by a man posing to be a police officer that their adult daughter had been arrested for a violent crash involving their son-in-law and grandkids. The scammer then told the parents that the crash had killed a pregnant woman's baby in the other vehicle. 

The couple soon received a second phone call, in which they were confronted by a so-called attorney who said that it would cost thousands of dollars to get their daughter out of jail. 

The fake sense of urgency that the scammers created, ended up separating the couple from their hard-earned money. The couple gave close to $34,000 to the scammers via couriers who came right to their home, once in the morning and once in the afternoon to whom they handed over around $17,000 each time.

"I can't even begin to explain how devastating and excruciating this is," the woman said. Soon after the two handed over the money, they received a phone call from their son-in-law and understood that they had been scammed. Now, police are gathering information from the residents of the Hidden Pond, Warwick Estates, and Robinson Farms neighborhoods about an older model red Nissan Rogue or Murano and a black Kia Sportage, the vehicles used by the scammers.

Police are currently trying to track down the two vehicles and the people inside who came to receive the cash. 

"Some of our most vulnerable people are being victimized regularly," said Warwick Township Police Chief Mark Goldberg.

"We are a small town. We see it if not weekly, monthly, where some member of our community has lost thousands of dollars as they're victimized in one of these scams," he added. The department is actively trying to spread awareness. 

"If they're informed and have information and they understand the specific scenario, because this specific scenario has happened here before, so they can recognize it for what it is and know that it's a scam," Goldberg said. 

In most of these cases, retrieving the money after a point becomes impossible, which is why authorities are urging people to practice caution when it comes to these unsolicited phone calls.