Two elderly residents targeted in Menlo Park, Atherton scams

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Menlo police cars parked at the station. Photo by Michelle Le.

Police arrested a San Jose man this week for allegedly scamming an elderly Menlo Park resident out of $35,000 in a scheme that may have international connections, Menlo Park police said on April 17. Separately, Atherton police arrested a women for impersonating a PayPal representative to allegedly convince an elderly Atherton resident to hand over $15,000 in cash. Atherton police arrested the women before cash was handed over.

The Menlo Park scam began Feb. 13 with a text message to the 77-year-old victim, purporting to be affiliated with a major online retailer and a federal agency. The Atherton scam started when the resident opened a fraudulent email claiming to be from PayPal and informing the resident there was an unauthorized withdraw.

In Menlo Park, the text allegedly threatened the victim with prison time unless they provided cash to a courier. On Feb. 11 and 12, the victim withdrew $35,000 in cash from multiple bank branches, and on Feb. 12, the suspect allegedly collected a box with the cash at the victim’s home.

Menlo Park police identified the suspect as a 22-year-old San Jose resident, and arrested him at his home on Wednesday. He was booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of theft by false pretenses, theft using an access card and elder abuse.

“This arrest reflects our dedication to protecting vulnerable residents from predatory scams,” said Menlo Park police Detective Eddie Mazon. “We urge the community to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity immediately.”

Atherton police arrested a 57-year-old women when she arrived at the victim’s residence. She was booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of theft by false pretenses, elder abuse and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The district attorney’s office has not filled charges in either case. Officials did not say if the two cases were related.

Residents with information about the cases or similar scams are encouraged to contact the Menlo Park Police Department at (650) 330-6300 or the Atherton Police Department at (650) 688-6500.

Law enforcement officials said to avoid scams, never click unknown links, share personal details or send money to unverified sources. To learn more about fraud prevention and common scams, visit the official website of the California Department of Justice.

Atherton police previously issued a warning regarding scams on April 8.

Editor’s note: It is Embarcadero Media Foundation’s policy to withhold the names of those arrested for most crimes until the District Attorney’s Office has determined that there is sufficient evidence to file charges in the case. This article was updated on April 18 in accordance with this policy.

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