Police: UPS employee keeps Ross Township woman from losing savings to grandparent scam

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - A UPS employee kept a Ross Township woman from losing a significant amount of her savings to a scam, police said. 

The woman got a call from a man on Tuesday claiming to be her grandson in trouble, saying he needed money to pay his bail bond fee, Ross Township police said on Facebook. 

The victim gave cash to a man that came to her home claiming to be a courier, and police said the scammers later requested more money overnight through UPS. 

Police said when the woman went to the UPS store on McKnight Road, an employee realized it was likely a scam and persuaded her to contact police. Officers credited the "vigilant" employee with saving the woman from suffering another large financial loss.  

The FBI said elder fraud exploded during the pandemic. The number of scams targeting seniors in 2021 was 74% higher than the previous year, costing more than $1.7 million in reported losses. 

Also on Tuesday, Allegheny County police said a man from Florida was arrested after he allegedly pulled a bail bond scam and took $14,000 from a Bell Acres resident. 

Ross police said they're still investigating.