SCAM ALERT
An old telephone scam is
back, and a few Defiance County residents
have reported being targeted.
The scam works like this: A phone call is
received from a younger person claiming to
be the recipient's granddaughter or
grandson. The "grandchild" has come into
some sort of trouble, usually needing bail
money due to being in a car with someone
carrying illegal drugs. The young person,
pleads with "Grandma" or "Grandpa" to wire
the cash to them. A phone number to call the
authorities is given, and when the target
calls, sure enough, the person answering
that number claims to be exactly who is
supposed to be answering. It all seems
smooth and legitimate, so the target wires
the requested money. Once the thousands of
dollars are received, the target hears
nothing because the whole situation was
phony.
This scam is commonly referred to as the
"Grandma Scam" and has been around for many
years. Scams in general are nothing new. For
decades, people have received telephone
calls requesting money for emergency
situations. With the advent of e-mail,
scammers began claiming to be Nigerian
royalty or European Lottery officials or the
like.
However, the old-fashioned phone scam is
still around. Both Sherwood Police and the
Defiance County Sheriff's Office have
received complaints within the past two
weeks, and other local residents claim to
have received such a call, but wisely hung
up and reported it rather than wiring money
to Canada.
Authorities suggest that before sending
emergency money to anyone, you should
request that identification be provided to
claim the money. If the caller claims to be
a relative, contact another family member to
confirm the situation, even if asked not to
talk to the parents. If it is to be sent to
someone other than the relative, do not do
it since someone else could have obtained
the personal information. And if the
relative states that he or she is in a jail
or a hospital, ask for the name of the
institution. Then contact the institution
directly, not using the number the relative
provides.
Callers using this particular scam usually
claim to be either in Canada or Mexico and
have come across some sort of trouble
requiring immediate cash. The targets are
usually elderly women or men, and the amount
requested varies greatly but is often
several thousand dollars. Anyone receiving
an unusual or suspicious phone call like
this is asked to contact either the Sherwood
Police or the Defiance County Sheriff's
Office.
