YARMOUTH — Quick action by Yarmouth Police resulted in the arrest of two individuals for attempting to scam a senior resident out of $10,000 on Monday.
Authorities were alerted by a local bank after a 96-year-old resident tried to withdraw the large sum of money, claiming it was for her son’s bail.
Officer Jefferson Willis, responding to the call, identified the transaction as part of a fraudulent scheme, similar to those reported across the nation.
The scam involved a caller impersonating a bail bondsman, telling the senior that her son was in jail and needed the cash for bail.
She was instructed to put the money in a box for a ride-share driver to collect, unaware that the driver was not complicit in the scam.
Yarmouth Police, working alongside Massachusetts State Police, set up surveillance and tracked the package to Worcester.
Carlos Santos, 34, of Methuen, and Maria Ayala, 41, of Lawrence, were arrested upon receipt of the package and charged with conspiracy and larceny by a single scheme over $1200.
A subsequent search of their vehicle uncovered an additional $30,000, proceeds of another scam they had executed in Western Massachusetts.
Santos and Ayala were arraigned in Barnstable District Court the following Tuesday.
The Yarmouth Police Department praised the bank employee’s vigilance and the collaborative effort of officers and detectives involved in the operation.
The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing scams preying on vulnerable individuals across the country.
The department urges the public to verify the identity of loved ones before sending money and to report similar incidents to local authorities.
