ELPD Cracks “Grandparents Scam”
The East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) recently tracked down the perpetrator of a “Grandparents scam,” a scheme where scammers trick a typically elderly individual into sending them money by pretending to be a loved one.
According to Pam, 80, the East Lansing woman scammed, ELPD was able to track the scam back to New Jersey and arrest a woman who tricked her into sending $7,500 by posing as her distressed granddaughter in a phone call. As part of the plea deal, Pam said the woman will return $4,900. There were three others involved in the scam that authorities are still searching for, she said.
ELPD could not talk about the specifics of the case because it is being kept private as part of the plea deal with the individual caught. However, ELPD Public Information Officer Lt. Adrian Ojerio confirmed the incident happened and an individual was held accountable.
Ojerio said scammers tend to target older people because they typically have money saved for retirement, and they may not recognize scams as easily as members of younger generations that grew up surrounded by modern technology.

In September 2022, Pam received a call from a woman who said she was her 16-year-old granddaughter. Her “granddaughter” was frantic, saying she was at fault for a car accident and in legal trouble. She begged Pam not to tell her parents.
A second woman then got on the phone claiming to be her granddaughter’s attorney. She instructed Pam to go to PNC Bank in Okemos. Once there, call back for information about how to send money to help her granddaughter with her legal troubles.
“Way down deep, there was something that cautioned me,” Pam said. “But my concern for my granddaughter… It was so realistic, they were such good actors.”
Pam had emergency cash in her home that she put into the ATM. She called the scammer back and was given an account number to transfer the money to.
Pam caught on to the scam when the perpetrator got greedy. They called Pam back after she sent the initial $7,500. Her “granddaughter” said that the car accident had caused a woman in the other vehicle to have a miscarriage. The woman was demanding $5,000 to not press charges.
“There’s no way a pregnant woman who loses a baby is going to settle for $5,000,” Pam said.
Pam told her “granddaughter” she would have to call her parents and hung up the phone. She immediately called ELPD and said she believed she had been scammed. ELPD sent a patrol officer right away to write a report.
From the time she received the first phone call to the time she called the police, only about an hour elapsed, Pam said. But at first, it seemed like that may have given the scammers enough time to get away.
For two years, Pam waited as ELPD followed the trail across state lines, worked with neighboring jurisdictions and built a case strong enough to prosecute. In November, a plea agreement with a perpetrator was reached.
Pam thanked ELPD, particularly Detective Andy Stephenson, who she referred to as a “bloodhound” for his work on the case.
“Hell of a detective, I’m glad he works on our side,” she said.
Pam also said she was grateful for 54B District Court Judge Lisa Babcock, who heard her case. Pam said she felt dumb after being tricked, and still has spoken to very few people about the incident. Babcock was empathetic in the courtroom.
“Judge Babcock very nicely said ‘You’re not an idiot, you’re somebody who was trying to help someone,’” Pam said. “I would do anything for my grandchildren.”
ELPD officer gives tips on avoiding scams, what to do if you’re unsure.
Ojerio said residents who feel they may be falling victim to a phone scam should hang up and call ELPD. He said officers can call the number back to see if it is part of a scam, or a legitimate caller.
He also said if someone believes they were scammed, calling the police right away is critical. Any information about the call a victim can remember can be key in an investigation. He said information that Pam shared with police helped ELPD secure search warrants and ultimately find the perpetrator.

Sharing phone numbers, bank account numbers, any text exchanges and pseudonyms used by scammers can be helpful to investigators, and may link the perpetrators to past crimes, Ojerio said.
Ojerio adds that residents should be skeptical of all phone calls from individuals asking for money. He said if you receive a call that sounds like a loved one in distress to ask where they are and offer to call the local police. If they are resistant to having law enforcement contacted, that is an indication you may be dealing with a scammer.
Ojerio cautions that perpetrators of complex scams like this may have done basic research before calling a victim. He said they may have done something as simple as an online search to find the names of relatives.
By asking basic questions like what type of car your “loved one” was driving, the scammer may slip up and reveal the scheme.
“Asking for a lot of details and trying to pin down where somebody is and what kind of help they need will help you uncover a scam,” Ojerio said. “It’s hard for these suspects to come up with lies and then continue to give you the correct answers.”
However, Ojerio acknowledges that slowing down and asking questions can be difficult when a victim believes their loved one is in danger. He said this is intentional, comparing these scammers to used car salesmen that try to scare people into making a quick decision that they later regret.
“Causing panic that you have to do it right now doesn’t allow people to slow down and look at the big picture and ask those broader questions,” Ojerio said. “They want you to make this knee-jerk, panicked, emotional reaction in the heat of the moment.”
Pam said she thinks ATMs should all have signs warning that they may be used for criminal purposes. These signs could cause a person being scammed to pause and question their situation.
Ojerio warns of a different phone scam that has been perpetrated in East Lansing. He said these scammers are calling residents and claiming to be police officers, even using active officers’ names. They then say the victim has a warrant out for their arrest and that they must make a payment or face arrest.
Police departments will never ask for money over the phone or take payments in the form of gift cards, Ojerio said.
Above all, Ojerio encourages residents to call ELPD before making a payment if they have any concerns that someone is attempting to scam them.
“If we can spend the five to 10 to 15 minutes on a call and get to learn about a resident, that’s awesome, number one,” he said. “Number two, if we can prevent that crime and any loss in 10 minutes, that ounce of prevention prevents [a lengthy investigation] on the back end.”