The Grover Beach Police Department is creating a program to help people of all ages avoid getting scammed out of their money.
Police say the idea emerged after a woman reported losing nearly $160,000 in retirement savings to scammers posing as federal officers, who urged her to transfer her money. The tactic the scammers used is called "emotional hijacking," in which criminals create a sense of urgency to override common sense.
"She withdrew her retirement funding, changed it into gold coins, and then a courier came to her house and took the money away," explained Commander Bryan Millard, Grover Beach Police Department. "So this is someone that claimed to be a member of the federal government. Obviously, that wasn't the case, and was able to buy what I call emotional hijacking, took control of the conversation, pushed and pressured her to make decisions without checking anybody."
According to officers, the best way to avoid this is to pause before acting, call someone you trust, and protect your personal information.
"That's the message we want to get out to the community is we need to have that pause. We need folks that are being pressured to make decisions online, on the phone, via text or call to take that moment, to take a step back and say, is this legitimate?” Millard said.
Within the next six months, Commander Millard says the department will have educational presentations, a hotline, and a website with scam alerts.
