MONROE - An apparent phone scam is being used in the area, according to Monroe Police.
In this scam, the potential victim receives a call from a person identifying themselves as a family member. Usually the victim is elderly, so the caller claims to be a grandson or granddaughter, and apparently has some knowledge of the family.
The caller claims to have been in an accident and needs money, or has been arrested and needs money. The caller uses an excited manner of speaking to disguise their voice. Some callers have been male and some female.
When the victim wires money, the money is diverted from the original destination, and usually ends up in a foreign country.
So far, this scam has been unsuccessful, but a potential victim on July 1 nearly wired a large amount of cash before discovering the scam, according to police.
No one should ever wire money to anyone not immediately recognized as a family member, nor ever give out personal social security numbers or bank numbers to strangers. Along with this, never send money to assist foreign dignitaries nor claims to winnings in foreign lotteries that were never entered. All of these are examples of common scams.
"If it sounds too strange or too good to be true, it probably is," Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said.
In this scam, the potential victim receives a call from a person identifying themselves as a family member. Usually the victim is elderly, so the caller claims to be a grandson or granddaughter, and apparently has some knowledge of the family.
The caller claims to have been in an accident and needs money, or has been arrested and needs money. The caller uses an excited manner of speaking to disguise their voice. Some callers have been male and some female.
When the victim wires money, the money is diverted from the original destination, and usually ends up in a foreign country.
So far, this scam has been unsuccessful, but a potential victim on July 1 nearly wired a large amount of cash before discovering the scam, according to police.
No one should ever wire money to anyone not immediately recognized as a family member, nor ever give out personal social security numbers or bank numbers to strangers. Along with this, never send money to assist foreign dignitaries nor claims to winnings in foreign lotteries that were never entered. All of these are examples of common scams.
"If it sounds too strange or too good to be true, it probably is," Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said.