VOLGA – A Volga resident is out $20,000 after falling victim to the grandparent scam, according to Assistant Sheriff Scott Sebring of the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim thought they were posting a cash bond for a family member.
There were a few red flags in this case that Sebring wants the public to recognize.
“You’re never gonna send bond through the mail. That’ll never happen,” Sebring said. “You’re never gonna be asked to send a money order or cash or anything like that through the mail.
“Bond has to be posted at the local sheriff’s office. If they’re there to post a bond in our office, it’s either cash or ... by credit card. We’ve got a credit card company that does it,” he said.
Those methods of transferring money are traceable; scammers use money orders, cash sent through the mail, iTunes cards and other similar methods because they are untraceable.
The incident was reported at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sebring said.
The victim reported receiving a phone call on Wednesday and thought it was from their granddaughter, who lives in Texas.
“The victim was told that she had been arrested in Texas for a drug violation and the (victim) needed to talk to the (arresting) officer. A male subject advised the victim that he was a narcotics investigator and the victim’s granddaughter had been arrested and had a $20,000 cash bond,” Sebring said.
The victim was told that fee could be paid by money order, which would take seven days; by money transfer, which would take three days; or send cash via Federal Express to an address in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the granddaughter would be released in the morning when the money was received, Sebring said.
“The victim decided to send the cash via Federal Express so their granddaughter would be released the next morning,” Sebring said.
“The victim was also advised to not tell anyone about this as there was a gag order issued and that would be detrimental to the victim’s granddaughter,” Sebring said.
On Thursday morning, the victim was in contact with the granddaughter and found out she had not been in any trouble and that the call was a scam.
“By this time the victim had checked, and Federal Express had already delivered the package,” Sebring said.
“We believe that the suspect gained information about the victim’s granddaughter through social media and used that information to help convince the victim that it was their granddaughter on the phone,” Sebring said.
Sebring had some more tips for spotting a scam: Law enforcement does not contact families of adults who have been arrested.
“If they’re over that age (18), we do not notify parents,” Sebring said.
This scam targeted a grandparent because adults in legitimate trouble have been known to contact their grandparents for help, Sebring said.
It’s a common scam, he said.
“They keep doing it because they keep getting people to fall for it,” Sebring said.
“The Brookings County Sheriff’s Office would like the general public to be aware of these scams,” Sebring said. “Please always contact your local law enforcement agency so we can check to see if it is a scam or a legitimate claim.”
Anyone with any information about this case or a similar one can contact the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office at 605-696-8300 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously by visiting www.brookingsareacrimestoppers.com or by calling 605-692-STOP (7867).
