LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued and advisory to the community about an apparent scam that is aimed at taking money from seniors.
Lt. Steve Brooks said the agency has received a report of a fraud scheme in which an elderly victim received a telephone call from a suspect, informing her of a relative who had supposedly been arrested outside of the country.
The suspect asked the victim for money so the relative could be released from jail, Brooks said.
This report appears to be very similar to a trend seen in early 2009 and again in March 2011 in which elderly victims were sending money to persons they thought were grandchildren in need, according to Brooks.
In March of 2011, an elderly Kelseyville woman reported getting a call from someone claiming to be her grandson. He claimed to have been arrested in Canada for drunk driving, Brooks said.
Brooks said the suspect talked the woman into wiring $2,800 via Western Union to Madrid, Spain, so he could pay his fines.
After returning home from wiring the $2,800, the woman got another call from the suspect asking for another $2,500 for attorney fees. The woman again wired money to Spain and after sending the $2,500, she was called a third time asking for another $2,000.
The third time, the woman refused and later contacted her son and found out her grandson had been in Redding the whole time, Brooks said.
In another case, an elderly Upper Lake woman received a call that her grandson was being held in jail in Madrid, Spain. She was told she needed to wire $2,000 to get her grandson out, Brooks said.
Fortunately in that case, the woman called her daughter who lived out of state as she was leaving to wire the money. Brooks said the woman's daughter called the sheriff’s office, which intervened before the $2,000 was sent to the suspect.
These are some examples of cases reported to the sheriff’s office. Brooks said there is no telling how many others have gone unreported.
He said the suspects in these cases usually have detailed information about the actual grandchild or family member who is supposedly in trouble. They often are able to convince the victims they are in fact their grandchild.
Brooks said there isn’t nearly as much advice on preventing fraud and scams as there are ways to be defrauded. However, aside from protecting one’s personal information, members of the public are encouraged to always carefully scrutinize unsolicited request of any kind before acting on them.
Additionally, Brooks said phone calls from supposed relatives or on the behalf of relatives asking for money always should be verified by contacting relatives or the Lake County Sheriff’s Office before sending any money.