By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Two senior citizens were tricked out of a large sum of money in Thurston County by someone impersonating a police officer phoning to say their grandchild was in jail.
In both cases, the male caller identified himself with a name and rank and told the targets to go to Safeway and purchase a $3,000 Reloadit Gift Card, and then call a phone number to provide the numbers from the gift card, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
One of the victims lost all $3,000 and the other told the person she could not afford that much so they settled on $500, so she lost that, sheriff’s Lt. Cliff Ziesemer said.
The incidents both occurred during November, according to Ziesemer.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office would like the public to be aware of this phone scam.
“As a general rule, if someone is calling you requesting or demanding money and you do not know who they are, assume that it is a scam and hang up,” Ziesemer said. “You also should never provide personal information to anyone over the phone to anyone who calls you.”
In these incidents, the first caller identified himself as “Sgt. Hunter” but did not indicate which department he was from. The other caller said he was “Capt. Craig Perry” from “Bend Police Dept.”
Anyone who receives phone calls that are requesting money or personal information are asked to please call their local police department or sheriff’s office and file a report.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
There are so many scams and there are many older people out there with declining mental abilities who fall for this stuff. And because the thieves are in different jurisdictions and many times off shore it’s extremely rare that law enforcement can do anything about it.
I get calls that I have won a bunch of money or money and a new car. Just send these guys $600 for some taxes and it’s all mine. I just got an automated message that my interest was going to be lowered on my credit card if I acted quickly. And then there is the grandson in jail scheme which these poor folks fell for.
I think the FBI should be working to shut these people down as local law enforcement is helpless to reach out to them. They should have a central task force that the local cops can report the crimes to.
Where did their family members? It’s important to always accompany your elderly relatives, parents or grandparents everyday. Always educate them regarding these scams. I have read so many reports filed at sites like http: //whycall .me about these grandma scams. We should help our parents avoiding those scammers.