The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office asks the public to be aware of a scam aimed at grandparents. According to law enforcement, the grandparent receives a phone call with a report their grandchild was involved in some incident out of state.
For example, the scammer reports their grandchild has been involved in a motor vehicle accident where they were at fault. The caller claims to be the grandchild’s attorney needing several thousand dollars to post a bond to get the grandchild out of jail.
Sometimes, if the grandparent hangs up, they will receive another call from someone claiming to be from the jail housing the grandchild and pleading to send the money. Often there is an urgency to the request and the scammers say there “no time” for the grandparent to try and corroborate the story with the parents or others.
Scammers will often say they are calling the grandparent because the grandchild does not want the parents to know.
Bladen County Sheriff’s Officer reports the scammers play on emotions to do the right thing and help the grandchild out as soon as possible.
Scammers often ask the victim to go to a store and purchase gift cards in the amount of money requested. The scammers then ask the victim to provide the PIN number or the serial number of the gift card’s back.
Scammers then use this number to receive the cash off the gift card in other parts of the United States or around the world.
“We try our best to educate the public on scams like this and what to look out for,” said Sheriff Jim McVicker. “The scammers are very good at convincing people the scam is real.”
He added, “They often have accurate information about the grandchild and use emotion and urgency to attempt to obtain the money.”
If you receive this type of call, contact the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office, who can assist in determining if the caller’s report is real or not. The office number is 910-862-6960.
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