An old scam is making the rounds again in Indiana County. State police at the Indiana station received a report recently about the familiar, “my grandson is in jail and needs bail money” ruse. A woman got a phone call from someone who claimed to be a state trooper, advising her that her grandson had been arrested and that she needed to collect money for him. She recognized it as a scam and did not send money. Instead she contacted the police.
State police advise the public that they do not operate that way and recommend that people who receive any message soliciting money, whether by phone, mail, email, or text, to verify its legitimacy before providing any personal information, bank account, or credit card numbers.
There are tips for protecting yourself from scammers and identity thieves at the state Attorney General’s website, www.attorneygeneral.gov.
