CURWENSVILLE – An elderly Curwensville woman was recently scammed out of $36,500, Clearfield-based state police reported on Tuesday.
According to a station-issued news release, the victim got a call around 9:54 a.m. May 20 from an unknown number. The caller was a woman posing as her daughter, crying and stating how she’d been involved in a crash.
Afterwards, a male got on the phone claiming to be “David Bell”. He reportedly advised the victim that her daughter would be arrested and she must provide money for her bail.
He asked the victim for her address, which she provided so the money could be returned to her. She was also advised there would be a courier sent to collect the bail amount.
About one hour later, the victim had a Caucasian male arrive at her home in a small black sedan. He was around 30 years of age with brown hair in a small ponytail.
He was further described as standing about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. The male was wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans, according to state police.
Not long after he left with the bail money, the victim got another call. She was advised the infant passenger of the vehicle her daughter had struck was now deceased.
He claimed this had prompted the judge to request the remaining bail funds, plus additional funds to “pay off” the other party to keep her daughter from being charged and allow her to be released.
Another male, “Jason,” arrived at the victim’s residence in a different small black sedan to collect the remaining balance. He was about 6 feet tall and 225 pounds with a beard; he was also wearing a plaid shirt with jeans.
At some point, the victim attempted to find out when her daughter would be released, and was reportedly advised paperwork was being completed at the courthouse and afterwards, she would be free to go.
The victim hung up and drove to the Clearfield County Courthouse for her daughter, and upon arrival, found her daughter was neither there nor in any kind of trouble for a crash, and that she’d been scammed.