Newtown Township Resident Falls Victim To Fake Emergency Scam

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA ? A Newtown Township resident has fallen victim to a fake emergency phone scam, according to township police.

Police said the resident received a phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer. The "officer" went on to claim that the resident's daughter, a college student in another state, had been arrested.

The resident was instructed to transfer money to cover the costs of her daughter?s bond and community service program to prevent her from going to jail.

In a panic, police said the resident transferred the money before speaking to her daughter and realizing it was a scam.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers often pretend to be an "authority figure" like a police officer, a lawyer or a doctor. "It makes them sound more convincing, and they hope it scares you," says the FTC.

"Once the scammer makes you think that your relative is in trouble, they pressure you to quickly send them money. But it?s all a scam. Your family member was never in trouble. Slow down. Verify," says the FTC.

"The scammers will play with your emotions," according to the FTC. "They?re counting on you to act quickly to help your family or friend. And they?re counting on you to pay without stopping to check out whether there?s really an emergency. If you get a call like this, you can be sure this is a scam."