Police warning about phone scam targeting elderly - ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, Sports

Police warning about phone scam targeting elderly

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  • Friday, May 17 2013 11:17 PM EDT2013-05-18 03:17:33 GMT
    An inmate is on the loose in Etowah County.  The Sheriff's department says an inmate kitchen worker escaped the Etowah County Detention Center (ECDC) Friday morning.  Justin Wade Hopkins, 30, escaped from
    The Etowah County Sheriff's Office says an inmate kitchen worker escaped the Etowah County Detention Center Friday morning. 

Sheriff's Office Warns of Phone Scam Against Elderly
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office wants to get the word out about a telephone scam that is targeting elderly victims. The scam works like this:

You will get a phone call from someone identifying themselves as a representative of the United States Embassy in Guadalajara Mexico. They will tell you that a loved one (possibly a grandchild) has been arrested and is in jail in Mexico. They then ask you to wire money to post bail. At this point, a second person gets on the phone pretending to be the arrested loved one, who will beg you to send the money and not tell anyone else in the family.

Once you have wired the money, you will have very little chance of getting it back.

If you or anyone you know gets a call like this, please get all of the information you can, and then contact other family members to verify the story before sending any money. You can also contact your local law enforcement for assistance.

Never wire money to someone that you cannot absolutely identify.