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Community awareness alert
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The Houston County Sheriff’s Office would like to warn the community about phone scams. One of the recent scams that have victimized several residents of the county is called the Emergency or “Grandparent” scam.
Typically, a senior citizen will receive a call from a con-artist claiming to be a child or grandchild of the victim. The con-artist will state that they are in some sort of trouble in Canada and need money. The con-artist may state that they have been involved in a traffic accident, are hospitalized or have been arrested and need money fast. They will ask that you not tell anyone because it is embarrassing or they don’t want to get into trouble with other family members. The con-artist will talk the victim into transferring money to a destination, at which time the money is gone and the scam has been completed.
It is important that you protect yourself. Do not give any personal information or banking information to someone that has called you asking for it. Know whom you are dealing with. Ask for his or her name and their location. Confirm this information yourself or request assistance from a family member or someone else that you can trust.
Contact your local law enforcement agency to help you to verify the legitimacy of such telephone calls before you send money. If you feel that you are being scammed or are a victim of a scam, please feel free to contact your local law enforcement agency for help.
Sheriff Douglas C. Ely
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