Des Plaines man scammed out of $97,600: police

A 72-year-old Des Plaines man was scammed out of $97,600 by someone posing as a U.S. Social Security Administration employee, police said Friday.

Sometime after April 17, the impostor called the victim and said illegal activity was associated with one of his bank accounts, police said in a news release.

The man was told to send a cashier’s check to the impostor in Monterey, California, to avoid penalty, and he did so via UPS, police said.

Further communication with the impostor led the man to suspect he’d been deceived, and he contacted police.

Des Plaines police have warned residents not to send money to strangers when contacted by phone or the internet.