New Lenox resident loses $20,000 to phone scam

A New Lenox resident lost $20,000 in the form of various cryptocurrencies over a phone scam.

About 2 p.m. Tuesday, an officer responded to an incident involving a resident who received a call from someone claiming to be their child, who is an adult, according to the New Lenox Police Department.

The resident said the voice of the caller “sounded like their child and they were crying,” police said.

“The caller explained that they were involved in an accident and they were in jail,” police said.

Another person who claimed they were an attorney instructed the resident to transfer money to a Coinbase machine at Jewel-Osco, 475 Nelson Road, New Lenox, police said.

“The complainant transferred $20,000 in the form of various cryptocurrencies at the direction of the caller,” police said.

When the transaction was completed, the resident was contacted by their child who said they were not in an accident or in jail, police said.

The resident “realized they were a victim of a scam,” police said.

The case is under review by the police department’s investigations division.