Businesses Receive Scam Phone Calls

Two different businesses reported a similar phone scam in which the caller demands money.

Woburn Police received two calls about the scams on Wednesday. An officer responded to West Cummings Park after the owner of the business reported that a man claiming to be from Nstar said she owed $500.

He called her during lunch hour and the woman said she was busy and agreed to send $500 via Green Dot Moneypak, according to police.

While police were at the scene, the man called back and said he didn’t receive the $500 and threatened to shut off the business’ power. 

The owner of the business handed the phone to an officer. A man identifying himself as “David Ortiz from the Nstar disconnection department” demanded $500 from the business or he threatened to turn off the power.

While speaking to the man, he also said he was from National Grid.

The officer asked for the man’s address and he gave police a fake Woburn address. When confronted on the fake address, the man hung up.

Police called him back and the man answered the phone “Nstar disconnection department.” He hung up on police a second time and didn’t answer the third call.

The other scam was at an Olympia Avenue business. A woman said a man called and said the US government owed the business $8,000. In order to receive her money though, she needed to purchase a Green Dot Moneypak and put $760 into the account.

She said she had a feeling it was a scam, but deposited the money anyways. The caller said a $8,000 check would be hand delivered to her, but it was not.