2 wanted for scamming elderly with sob story

UPPER DARBY, Pa. (WPVI) -- The search is on for a pair of scammers who are using an elaborate sob story to convince goodhearted residents in Delaware County to give them large sums of cash.

Police say the men have been preying on religious elderly women, and taking their "good Christian spirit" to the bank... literally.

Investigators are worried, based on their previous acts, what could happen with the next.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood says, "Their MO is the same thing: Religious, need money, gonna give money, Give you some money if you help us out."

Monday afternoon, in broad day light, two men with African accents approached a 75-year-old woman on Glendale Road in Upper Darby with a sob story, eventually scamming her out of $3,000.

The woman walked with the men to her bank. They gave her a bag of money in exchange for hers, prayed with her, and then they left.

Superintendent Chitwood explains, "She opens the bag and sees that its nothing but newspapers cut up to look like money."

Police think this same duo took advantage of an elderly women in Caln Township and Glenolden. In both cases investigators say the men actually got in the car with their victim and even took them to lunch before taking their money.

Chitwood says, "Not only are these guys predators, they're slime balls 'cause they know what they're doing. My fear is they get someone alone, murder, rape, robbery - anything."

Chitwood reminded us today that if it sounds too good to be true, then it's not true. And don't get in a car with someone you don't know. It's something we tell our children, but it still applies to us as adults no matter what the circumstances are.