HAMILTON, ILL. -- Here's a KHQA Alert for residents in Hamilton, Illinois and beyond.
Police Chief Sellens has coined it, "the grandparent scam."
Here's what happens:
A scammer calls people, claiming to be a grandson or close personal family member.
In fact, the caller knows enough about the potential victims to use the name of that grandson or family member.
The scammer claims they've been in an accident, usually near the Canadian border and asks the grandparent or potential victim to wire money.
Sellens told me he's received three of those cases reported so far.
The caller even hands the phone to another person claiming to be from law enforcement.
Fortunately, all three potential victims talked with each other and discovered the scam before they sent any money.
Chief Sellens warns everyone to be suspicious of this type of call, double check their information and report it to your local law enforcement agency.
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