Scam Alert from Loretto Police Department

Late last week one of our local residents reported they had been the victim of a scam. The citizen stated she was contacted by someone claiming to represent a family member that had just been arrested for DUI and required $2,000 to get out of jail.

While the person was getting the money the scammers called back and claimed more money would be required. The final amount came to $4,000. Only after contacting the family member did the person realize they had been scammed.

We have seen several cases like this where scammers target elderly people in an attempt to scam them. We've seen all types of excuses for people needing money from airport kidnappings, to lifesaving medical attention requiring payment, to the family member being in jail, to the billionaire Nigerian prince needing a Walmart money order to send you your millions. The last one is my personal favorite along with the Jamaican publishers clearing house jackpot van needing a $50 gift card for gas money.

It is important to remember that no police agency will ever ask for money over the phone. It is unfortunate that some still fall victim to these scams. It is very important that you verify the story, claim, or bill before sending any money or giving out any credit or debit card information. If you have any questions or are contacted by one of these scammers feel free to contact us so we can put the information out to the public so another one of our neighbors does not become a victim.

Finally, there isn't really much we as a police department can do to stop this other than educate you. Most of these scammers reside in other countries with this particular one using a Canadian phone number. So we have no legal way of prosecuting even if we could find them. Our request for an armed predator drone was denied in this years budget. We feel as though it would have come in handy for situations like these and thinning the armadillo population in the city parks.