An 86 year old woman is out of $3,000 after receiving a phone call on Monday, March 8th around 3:50 p.m. She called police to say that an unknown person called her claiming to be an attorney for her son who had been in a car accident. The caller stated he was in jail and she needed to wire the money to an account. The woman followed the caller’s instructions.
The victim later contacted her son who stated he was not in jail.
The investigation continues.
Here are some ways to avoid a scam:
1) Don’t give out personal or financial information in response to a request you didn’t initiate or expect. Legitimate organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.
2) Resist the pressure to act immediately. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
3) Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
4) Stop and talk to someone you trust, especially if you are asked for money to help a family member (e.g., a child in an accident, a relative in jail, a friend with a warrant). Before you do anything else, tell someone—a friend, a family member, a neighbor—what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.