Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office releases information about 'emergency scams'

The Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office has released information about "emergency scams."

Officials say the scam has been an issue for years. Recently victims were defrauded for several thousand dollars.

Read the full release below:

On behalf of Kosciusko County law enforcement, Sheriff Kyle P. Dukes has issued the following statement:

There has recently been a resurgence in “emergency scams.” In these situations, the perpetrators present themselves as authority figures, insisting that a family emergency has occurred. Family emergencies have been portrayed as arrests or hospitalization. The scammers may present leading questions to obtain victim information, or they may already have limited family details.

A variety of communication avenues are used to defraud the victims; including telephonic and electronic messaging. It may even appear that the calls are originated locally. Once the story is laid out, the suspects will seek financial aid. The monetary requests have been in the form of a wire transfer, online payment or gift cards. Individuals have been victimized by con artists, in these instances, for thousands of dollars. Once payment has been sent, tracking is nearly impossible.

If one of these calls is received, the Federal Trade Commission recommends the following:

Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story is.

Verify the person’s identity by asking questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer.

Call a phone number for your family member or friend that you know to be genuine.

Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.

Don’t wire money — or send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier.

Christopher M. Francis

Public Information Officer