Phone scammers faking family emergencies

The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is warning residents to be aware that there are still telephone scammers out there trying to separate them from their money.

Recently, residents, especially senior citizens, have received telephone calls from people pretending to be their grandchildren, according to a news release from Nell Hays, crime prevention specialist with the sheriff's office.

"They explain that they have been arrested and need money to be wired so they can be released from custody," Hays wrote. "Alternatively, the caller may claim to be a grandchild in an emergency room in need of money for treatment."

Crime Prevention Practitioner Paul Hinman said Monday that since January, he's gone around the county speaking to citizens' groups, warning about this scam.

"I've talked about this for months," he said.

It continues to happen and happened very recently, he said. A 75-year-old from Placid Lakes lost $2,200, he added.

A caller pretending to be his grandson said he was in Quebec and went to a rock concert with his friends. He said he was arrested for driving under the influence.

"He said it didn't sound like him, but the caller said 'I've got a cold and my voice is a little different,'" said Hinman.

He instructed his grandson to call him when he got back. A few days went by but he heard nothing. Then a call came from a guy claiming to be the kid's friend asking for more money.

"He told the caller he didn't have it," said Hinman.

It was then he called his relative's family in Tennessee and learned the grandson had never been to Quebec.

Hinman said in another case a scammer called an elderly woman who took the bait and went to the bank to take out some money, but it was closed due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, he said.

It was then she called relatives and learned she had nearly been scammed.

In some cases, as in the above example, the scammer will claim to be someone calling on behalf of a family member, who is unable to call due to being arrested or in an accident, the report stated.

One ploy they use is when the potential victim picks up the telephone they might say, "Hey grandpa, it's me," said Hinman. "How are you doing? And he might reply, 'Paul is that you? Yeah, it's me!'"

That's one way the scammer could get a name. Another way to get a relative's name might be by pulling information from the Internet.

"This scam is designed to prey on your willingness to open your heart and your wallet to protect your family," wrote Hays. "Unfortunately, these scams originated out of the United States; therefore identifying and locating suspects, let alone prosecuting them, is extremely difficult."

To avoid becoming a victim, first of all be aware that if you receive a call from someone claiming to be a relative, remain calm and ask the caller a question that only that family member would know the answer to, the sheriff's office advised.

Be careful not to give away the answer to the question as the call progresses. The scammers are professionals.

"If you really think it might be a family member in trouble, call the residence where the troubled family member should be," Hays' report stated. "Parents, spouse, other siblings may be able to confirm the whereabouts of the supposed family member in trouble and you may indeed find out there is no cause for concern."

People might want to consider having a family code word and when a call for help does come, the caller can be asked what the code word is.

"Instruct the family members to never discuss the code word with their friends or use it for other identification purposes," she advised.

It could be something like the birthplace of a grandfather.

Also, if the caller is not willing to provide a call-back number and tries to prevent you from calling the family for verification, it should be considered a strong indication the caller may be attempting a scam.

For more information, contact Hays, at (863) 385-0024.