South Central Reporter

The 'grandparent scam' is back in Sangamon and other Illinois counties, according to a July 12 Facebook post by Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield). The scam involves unknown individuals reaching out by telephone and claiming to be a family member who needs money.

“The ‘Grandparent Scam’ is affecting victims in Sangamon and surrounding counties, targeting older individuals,” he wrote on Facebook.

The grandparent scam happens like this: a grandparent gets a phone call or email from someone who says they’re a grandchild and have been arrested outside of the United States. They need money to get released - and they also ask that family members are not notified of the situation. The FBI’s page on this particular scam says this: “The grandparent scam has been around for a few years—our Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has been receiving reports about it since 2008. But the scams and scam artists have become more sophisticated. Thanks to the Internet and social networking sites, a criminal can sometimes uncover personal information about their targets, which makes the impersonations more believable."

Coffey shared a link to a WANDTV article about this particular scam. The report notes that the Springfield FBI office knows there are victims in Sangamon and other counties. The WAND article also explains the version of the scam that’s happening in Central Illinois: “A version of a scam recently seen in central Illinois involves victims receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a loved one who has been in an accident with a pregnant woman and is being detained by law enforcement. The victim then gets a second call from a purported attorney who claims that due to a gag order the case cannot be discussed further and requests money for their loved one’s release. The scammer schedules an in-person pick-up to collect the money, and someone acting as a money mule arrives at the victim’s residence to retrieve the funds.”

To learn how to report scams, visit USA GOV Five Tips for Reporting a Scam webpage.

ABC20 suggests a few tips from the FBI to protect one’s self and family from these calls. “Be careful what you post online. Scammers can use details shared on social media platforms and dating sites for targeting purposes. Be careful with caller IDs that look familiar. Scammers may use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from and make it appear as a trusted number.”