Full Notification

Residents of the Town of Poughkeepsie are advised of a fraudulent phone scam which has been reported in the Town. The scam comes in the form of an urgent phone call to a grandparent and the caller claims to be their “favorite grandson” or just says “it’s me”, prompting the grandparent to supply their name. While the type of emergencies can vary, the caller will request money to make bail, or to pay for automobile repairs from an accident or medical expenses. The caller begs the grandparent not to tell his parents and asks them to wire money or supply their credit card number immediately. Some instances report the incident occurring in a location other than locally, even outside of the United States.

Increasingly, scammers use actual relatives’ names and information obtained from social media and other internet sites. To protect yourself, never wire money to anyone without verifying their identity, don’t rely on the caller’s voice, tell the caller to give you the contact information relating to the incident such as the police department or hospital so you can verify the information is accurate and speak to your family to find out if someone is actually out of town and in need of assistance.

To learn more about these scams and other ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim, go to www.townpolice.net. Click on "Specialized Units", "Community Policing" and then "Smart Seniors". If you receive a similar call in the Town, you can contact the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department to report the incident at 845-485-3666.