SLO County warned about phone scam targeting elders

Posted: Sep 2, 2010 7:59 PM by Shelby Rhodes
Updated: Sep 2, 2010 8:02 PM

The San Luis Obispo District Attorney's Office is warning the public about a phone scam that has been targeting elderly residents.

Referred to as the "Grandparent Scam", it involves a call from someone claiming to be the grandchild in an emergency situation, asking for money. In a recent situation, one scammer said they were stuck in a Dominican Republic jail and needed money.

The scammer tricked the resident into believing it was their granddaughter. The scammer also had someone on the phone pose as an "officer", who told the resident where they could wire money at the local Western Union branch. In one particular case, the resident wired $5,082, thinking it was going towards a granddaughter.

After wiring the money, the scammer called again, saying the money had been delivered too late and additional money would need to be delivered. After this phone call the victim became suspicious and refused to send money. The victim later learned that the granddaughter was safe and not in a Domican Republic jail.

The Federal Trade Commission offers these tips to avoid a similar situation:

Don't wire money to:

-Someone you know, in the U.S. or in a foreign country;

-Someone claiming to be a relative in the midst of a crisis and who wants to keep the request for money a secret

-someone who says a money trasfer is the only form of payment that's acceptable; or

-someone who asks you to deposit a check and send some of the money back.