Full Notification

Local police agencies are reporting an increase number of cases involving the "grandparent scam". The scam involves a phone call stating that the caller is from a foreign embassy, a police agency outside the U.S., or from a hospital either in or out of the country. The caller claims to have contact with a grandchild of the person being called and are attempting to help them get money for bail, a ticket, a crash, or their hospital stay.

This seems to increase at known vacation times when younger people are known to be without their parents, such as Spring Break. Always know where your children and grandchildren are vacationing or if they have even left the area. Never agree to give financial information over the phone. If you think the phone call is a scam, ask for a follow up phone number that you can verify. Often, the caller will just hang up and move on. You can download the Scam detector app for your smart phone also.