MASON CITY – Mason City police confirmed today that phone scams are still out there, preying on the public.
The scammers typically target the elderly, Mason City police said.
“Typically the callers look for grandparents and tell them their grandchild is in jail or in hospital (unable to speak),” said officer Mike McKelvey. “The caller claims to be some advocate or intermediary working on behalf of the younger relative. The scam wants the older relative to wire money to a number (outside the U.S.) as quickly as possible or else the younger relative may go to prison or not get some life-saving operation. Usually there is some time deadline that is used for leverage. The scam works when the older relative rushes to the aid of their grandchild by sending the money (without investigating further).”
Today, a Mason City woman reported via Facebook that her grandmother had been targeted. “My grandmother got a call this morning saying that I was in jail in Peru and I needed her to bail me out,” she said. She also confirmed that her grandmother lives in Mason City.
Officer McKelvey offered some advice to the public on how to avoid these phone scams.
“Be aware if the caller says the relative is in another country (when the relative was unaware of any travel plans) or balks when asked for a number to call them back at. Even so, the person receiving these calls should always try to call their relative(s) first to confirm. The older relative should also look for a public contact number (local PD or hospital admitting desk) and confirm if unsure. I’ve spoken to few grandparents who panicked when they received the call and rushed and wired the money only to find out they were able to reach their younger relative by phone (in the U.S.) safe and sound. Once the money is wired out of the country, it is gone and we have no way to identify who may have picked up the money order in Canada or other countries.”
