Alarming Increase In Phone Scams Target Elderly: VA State Police

RICHMOND, VA – An alarming increase recently in phone scams is targeting the elderly and convicted sex offenders, warn Virginia State Police. The consistent theme among the scams has been callers threatening people into paying hundreds of dollars in gift cards to the caller.

One popular scam making its rounds across the Commonwealth is where the caller says a relative has been arrested and incarcerated, and is in need of a substantial amount of money in order to be released from jail. The scammer can be convincing by providing extensive personal information — such as the date of birth, address, social security number, and other family members’ names — about the relative who is supposedly in need of help, authorities say.

Virginia State Police are also getting numerous calls from convicted sex offenders in Northern Virginia who are being told there is a warrant out for their arrest, according to a news release. The sex offender is warned by the scammer not to call the State Police and told the only way to dismiss the warrant is by paying a fine.

State law prohibits the unlawful use of the information on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry to intimidate or harass someone listed on the registry. Willful violation is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.

In both scams, the caller gives the victim instructions on how the payment should be submitted, usually through an “eGift” cash card or a similar payment to a specified account or name given by the caller. The scammer will often pressure, threaten and be verbally abusive in order to intimidate the victim into complying with the demands.

Police say the scammer will often manipulate caller ID, which is known as “spoofing,” to make the number appear to come from a nearby state police office or a local police or sheriff’s office. These scam artists use pre-paid phones and often are not even in the jurisdiction where the crime occurred, making them difficult to catch.

If you receive such a call, hang up and contact your local law enforcement agency or the Virginia State Police. Complaints can also be made to the Federal Trade Commission, which works with other law enforcement agencies to bring scam artists to justice and put an end to unfair and misleading business practices. If you have a complaint, file it online or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.

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