The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports an old phone scam is making the rounds again. It happens at least once a year The victim gets a call from someone posing as his or her grandchild. This person explains, in a frantic-sounding voice, that he or she is in trouble: There’s been an accident, or an arrest, or a robbery and they need money to be released from custody. To up the drama and urgency, the caller might claim to be hospitalized or stuck in a foreign country; to make the impersonation more convincing, he or she will throw in a few family particulars, gleaned from the actual grandchild’s social media activity.

The impostor offers just enough detail about where and how the emergency happened to make it seem plausible and perhaps turns the phone over to another scammer who pretends to be a doctor, police officer or lawyer and backs up the story. The “grandchild” implores the target to wire money immediately, adding an anxious plea: “Don’t tell Mom and Dad!” Fraudsters have also been known to ply this trick by email, text message and social media. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI have warned of an uptick in grandparent scams as crooks play on emotional vulnerability and heightened fear about loved ones falling ill.

The person claiming to be your grandchild asks you to send money immediately and provides details on how — for example, via prepaid cards or to a particular Western Union office. Often times, the call will come late at night, because scammers figure an older person may get confused more easily if they call during those hours. Your best bet is to hang-up and contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office or Atlantic Police. They can verify through their law enforcement sources, whether a person has been arrested, regardless of the jurisdiction.

Above all, DO NOT provide any information to these people and hang up immediately. If you would like more information on this scam and how you can avoid being tricked, check out this link from the AARP, which has the “Do’s” and “Don’ts,” when it comes to being scammed. You can also see the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) website for additional consumer information on these types of scams.