Grandparents scam resurfaces in Bonifay

BONIFAY – An alert bank teller helped thwart a would-be scammer from bilking an elder Bonifay resident out of nearly $10,000 this week after a well-known scam resurfaced here in Holmes County this week.

Bonifay Police Chief Chris Wells warns that the “Grandparent Scam” is once again making rounds and targeting elderly victims.

This scam uses a tactic in which would-be scammers make “cold calls,” usually crying or whispering in order to imitate a grandchild or great-grandchild in trouble. Most often used are ruses involving a traffic crash or an arrest. In both cases, the “family member” asks the “grandparent” to wire money. “Once the money is withdrawn and transferred, there is no getting it back,” said Chief Wells.

Wells states in the most recent case, an alert teller recognized the scam and advised the intended victim. As a result, the withdrawal and transfer were halted before they could begin.

Chief Wells states the best way to avoid
this type of scam, or any suspicious phone call, is to hang up
immediately.

“If you have caller ID and don’t recognize an incoming
phone number, let it go to voicemail,” he advises. “The best practice is to educate elderly relatives and friends not to fall for such phone calls.”

More information concerning this scam can be read here.