ALERT: Old Phone Scam Getting New Victims
It's happening again and it's working. The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office is again receiving numerous complaints from residents in Yakima County who are receiving phone calls from scammers stating that the person receiving the call has a relative that is in jail somewhere and in need of bail money in order to get out of jail. A news release from the Sheriff's office says "The person on the phone often sounds convincing and has information regarding actual family members although the caller is a scammer. " Authorities say the suspect attempts to convince victims that a relative is in trouble somewhere and that they need money to get out of trouble or get out of jail. The scammer then asks for financial information like a credit card number.
Sheriff's officials say this is a prolific scam that's claimed many victims.
They say never give out personal information, including credit card or bank account information over the phone.
If you get such a call hang up and call police.