It wasn’t her daughter. It was a scammer. And it’s the basis for this Coconut Creek Police Department Scam Alert.

A 77-year-old woman recently came to us after getting scammed out of a large amount of money. The fraudsters took advantage of her by assuming the identity of her daughter, who lives outside of the country.

One of them called her posing as her daughter. She said she was in a traffic crash and in the hospital. She instructed her to call a lawyer (another scammer) and arrange to have money sent to help in her recovery.

All of it was a scam. The daughter was never in a crash. And never in the hospital.

Our victim, however, worried about her daughter, sent the money.

If you get a similar phone call, check with your loved one first. Call the number you have for them and make sure they’re okay.

A simple verification can save you a lot of complex financial trouble.