A Southern California police department is warning residents on Friday of a recent wave of phone scams targeting the elderly and their desire to help family members.
“In these incidents, scammers call victims and falsely claim that a loved one has been involved in a traffic collision and is being held against their will until a wire transfer of funds is made,” the Rialto Police Department in San Bernardino County stated in a news release.
Police said the victims are instructed to go to a Walmart store to conduct the money transfer. If the Walmart employees refuse to process the transaction, the victims are then directed to local grocery stores such as Cardenas or El Super to send the money.
Once an initial payment is successful, the victims are repeatedly ordered to return to the store and send additional money, police said.
The Police Department offered the following steps to recognize the signs of a scam:
- STOP – Be cautious whenever you are asked to immediately wire money, pay with gift cards, or provide personal or financial information over the phone.
- CHECK – Verify that the caller is truly who they claim to be before taking any action.
- ALERT – Report suspected scams to your local police department and the Federal Trade Commission at 877-FTC-HELP.
Additional resources for avoiding scams can be found on the California Department of Justice website.
“Additionally, we encourage everyone to share this information with friends and family to prevent others from falling victim,” police said.
The public was urged to contact their local law enforcement immediately if they or someone they know receives a suspicious call of this type.
