Local law enforcement is again warning citizens of a telephone scam aimed at duping people out of their money.
Ogallala Police Chief David Kling says his office recently took a report of the “Grandma (Grandpa), I’m in Jail” scam. Luckily, the grandparent did get in touch with the parent’s and is not out anything.
In short, claiming to be a grandson or granddaughter, an individual tells the person who answers the phone, or in some cases email, that they took a trip to Canada for a wedding, ball game, or other event. The imposter grandchild — sometimes knowing the real grandchild's actual name — begs for bail or medical bill money to be wired after being stopped by law enforcement.
The fake grandchild asks the grandparent not to tell anybody about the incident, especially their parents. A man posing as a police officer speaks to the grandparent to inform them how and where to transfer the money if the grandparent agrees.
The fake officer requests the grandparent call to confirm the money had been sent — in this case the number had a 438 area code, which is in Montreal.
Officials say if you, or someone you know, receives a call like this, do some checking before sending any money. If you have further concerns and/or questions, contact your local law enforcement agency.
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