Area Agency on Aging says hang up and call the police

Staff report

NILES

Area Agency on Aging 11 Inc. is alerting older adults to use caution if they receive a phone call that asks for money to keep a grandchild from going to jail.

On Thursday, a call was made to a Girard man telling him his grandson was in trouble and needed $4,000 transferred in order to keep him from going to jail.

This is a scam, and anyone who receives this type of call should hang up and alert your local police department, said Lisa Solley, director of communications for the agency.

This specific phone scam has been going on for more than a year.

The caller usually knows the name of the person’s grandchild and is threatening on the phone. Much of this personal information is available on the Internet.

“These calls can be very traumatic to an older adult, and the scammers are usually pressuring the person,” Solley said.

Another scam is a caller posing as someone from the Internal Revenue Service or a person telling you that you’ve won a large prize or sum of money and only need to pay taxes up front.

“The IRS does not call people,” Solley said. “The best thing to do if you receive a call that is soliciting money is to hang up. Don’t continue the conversation, because the caller is very good at pressuring you. If you think you have won something, tell them to send it writing but don’t give your address again, as they should have it on file.”