TOMS RIVER – Toms River Police warned of a scam that has been making the rounds which tries to convince an elderly person that a grandchild is in trouble and needs money.
There are various versions of the lie that they tell the senior. They might impersonate the senior’s grandson or granddaughter. They will claim that they need to be sent bail money. They might say they were in a car crash. They might impersonate a bail bondsman and ask for money.
No matter what the story, anyone claiming over the phone to be a relative asking for money, especially in an urgent manner, should be validated by a family member, police said. When in doubt, hang up and call a member of your family to find out if this is real. Then call the police at 732-349-0150.
The caller will try to keep you on the phone, police said. They will try to scare you into making a rash decision.
“The caller may give you instructions on what to say to a bank teller if he/she questions you on why you are taking out the cash, even instruct the victim to act upset with the teller for asking questions,” police said.
Police give this advice:
- Hang up at once. Call a family member to verify.
- Bail money is ONLY collected at a police department. It can’t be sent anywhere else.
- Anyone asking you to send money through a wire transfer or a gift card payment is most likely trying to rip you off.
- Don’t trust anyone who calls you from a number you don’t know.
Police encourage sharing this information with your loved ones and call local police if you think you’ve been the victim of a scam.
