'Grandparent Scam' Reported in Marshall County
By West Kentucky Star Staff
MARSHALL COUNTY, KY - Police are once again warning residents
about a popular scam.
The Marshall County Sheriff's Office
says deputies have recently received complaints about the
“grandparent scam." In a typical grandparent scam, a con
artist calls or emails the victim posing as a relative in distress or
someone claiming to represent the relative (such as a lawyer or law
enforcement agent).
The "relative" of the grandparent
explains that he or she is in trouble and needs their grandparent to wire them
funds that will be used for bail money, lawyer’s fees, hospital
bills, or another fictitious expense. In the latest instance, the caller
stated that they were the victim's grandson and needed money. In this case, the victim did not have a grandchild and knew it was a scam.
The sheriff's office says this
particular call came from a Cleveland, Ohio number, but scammers can
make it look like they are calling from any number.
Anyone who receives one of these types of calls should call their
local law enforcement agency.