A scam targeting grandparents has again struck in Ohio County.
Ohio County Sheriff Tracy Beatty said, “The Grandparent Scam is making its way back around in Ohio County. The victims say the caller claims to be a grandchild in an out-of-state jail. Then a second scammer joins in, pretending to be an attorney or law enforcement officer. That person confirms the fake grandchild’s story and asks the victim to immediately wire money or send cash to pay for bail.”
Beatty offers the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:
- Never trust anyone who randomly calls and asks you to send money via wire transfer, gift cards, cash or other hard to trace methods of payment.
- Ask the caller questions that only the real grandchild could answer correctly.
- Ask the caller to confirm what state and county jail they are being held and independently contact the jail to confirm.
- Try to call the real grandchild to verify, or call a related family member at a known phone number to confirm the grandchild is traveling.
Anyone who with information about the “Grandparent Scam,” is asked to report the information to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection hotline at 888-432-9257.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
