From the Office of the Sheriff:
The sheriff’s office would like to warn citizens that numerous Washington County residents have been recently targeted in “grandparent” type phone or email schemes. Within the past month, caring Washington County grandparents have been swindled out of tens of thousands of dollars. Yesterday alone, our agency investigated two cases that may result in the loss of nearly $40,000.
There are many twists on the scam. It could be that the grandson is in the hospital sick, or a result of an accident, and needs money. It could be the grandson is in some type of legal trouble and needs bond money. Sometimes the “grandson or granddaughter” will call while other times someone else is calling on their behalf such as an attorney. The callers will create a sense of urgency and pull on the heartstrings of the grandparent to send money quickly.
These predators will impersonate your loved ones convincingly. With all of the social media and networking sites, it is surprisingly easy for these criminals to obtain family information to create a story. They will ask for money to be wired, or even have a reputable courier company pick up the money. It is imperative that you do not send a check, cash or money order by overnight delivery or courier. These criminals are counting on you sending the funds before you realize it is a scam. They may even ask for gift cards as a payment.
Resist the urge to act immediately, and verify the person’s identity by asking questions that only they would know. Check the story out with another trusted member of your family, even if you were instructed to keep it confidential.
The sheriff’s office will dedicate every investigative resource necessary to make our victims whole, but there are oftentimes investigative challenges when we are not notified immediately. We would ask that you speak with your older, or more vulnerable, family members to make sure they do not fall victim to these criminals. We all need to watch out for each other.
Sheriff Schulteis
